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Survivors of mother and baby homes have called for greater transparency for fear that their files will be sealed.
Up to 100 people protested in front of Áras an Uachtarain to highlight their disappointment after President Micheal D Higgins signed into law the mothers and babies homes bill.
Majella Connolly was born and later adopted from St Patrick’s mother and baby in Dublin.
Wearing a face mask with the words “It’s my identity, not yours” written on the front, he demanded that the government listen to the needs of the survivors.
“I am asking you to understand the life of an adoptee,” he told RTÉ News. “I want the government to publish our files. Let me know who I am.”
In a statement, President Higgins said he “listened carefully to the debate and the issues raised, adding that the decision to sign this legislation leaves any citizen open to challenge the provisions of the bill in the future.”
The legislation transfers 60,000 records to Tusla, and Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman is left with a complete copy.
These files are part of a larger file, which includes all the administrative files from state and religious sources, and the testimonies that the Minister will now have.
The data was collected by a commission established under a 2004 law.
The government has been informed that the entire copy of Mr. O’Gorman must be sealed.
“The minister’s policy is that everything he receives will be sealed for 30 years,” said Dr. Maeve O’Rourke, a law professor at NUIG.
“That, according to the Data Protection Commission, is illegal, but the government goes on to say that it is required by the Commission of Inquiry Act of 2004, it is not,” said Ms O’Rourke.
The government says the new law will not seal the file and a full report will be published shortly.
For those who met in Phoenix Park, trust is key to solving problems related to handling the legislation.
“The nation seems to be behind us for the first time to get rid of Ireland’s dirty secrets,” Connolly said.
“But it is the government that is rejecting us,” he added.
Supporters and survivors hung baby shoes on the fences and trees outside Áras an Uacharáin as a reminder about children born into homes.
A similar protest is scheduled in Dublin on Saturday.
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