Historical Cleric Child Abuse – Publication of Reports by Northern Ireland Executive

Historical Cleric Child Abuse – Publication of Reports by Northern Ireland Executive (22 July 2026)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction
The Northern Ireland Executive established the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry (HIAI) in 2012 to
investigate the abuse of children in residential institutions between 1922 and 1995, with its findings
published in 2017. However, the inquiry did not investigate child abuse occurring in faith-based contexts
outside of residential settings, despite concerns raised by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First
Minister (OFMDFM) and Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Recognising the significance of this
issue, the Executive Office (TEO) in 2016 commissioned a single Interdepartmental Working Group (IDWG)
to examine evidence related to Magdalene Laundries, Mother and Baby Homes, and Historical Clerical
Child Abuse in Northern Ireland. This study focuses specifically on historical clerical child abuse in non
residential, faith-based settings, engaging all faith-based organisations in Northern Ireland.

Read the Reports using the following links:

The link to the reports is www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/publications/historical-clerical-child-abuse-research-reports

 

TEO is issuing a press release, which will be found at https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/news/first-minister-and-deputy-first-minister-publish-historical-clerical-child-abuse-research-reports