skip to main content

Doubts over Justice for the Forgotten's future

Dublin - Group is campaigning for memorial of bombing
Dublin - Group is campaigning for memorial of bombing

Justice for the Forgotten, which represents victims of the Troubles, has said it will cease to exist by the end of this month if it does not secure funding.

Last year, the Department of Justice announced it would no longer fund the group's work and efforts to secure alternative funding have so far failed.

In a letter sent to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern last week, Margaret Urwin of the group appealed for funding for a period of two years to allow it to conclude its work.

Justice for the Forgotten is the main liaison between victims and their families and the Historical Enquiries Team in Northern Ireland.

The group also acts as a contact point for families when dealing with gardaí reviewing various investigations.

It has also campaigned to have memorials commemorating the dead in locations where bombings have occurred, such as Monaghan, Dublin and Belturbet, Co Cavan.

Survivors, and the families of victims who died, have said their voices will be silenced by the disappearance of Justice for the Forgotten.

They have appealed for the Government to fund the group until 2012 so that work on various incidents can be completed.

Victims and their families have said the failure of the State to fund the support group flies in the face of the Good Friday Agreement, which, they say, states that it is essential to acknowledge and address the suffering of the victims of violence as a necessary element of reconciliation.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice has said the minister's first priority is to ensure that those victims who require ongoing medical treatment for injuries sustained in bombings and other incidents will continue to be provided for.

The spokesperson added that special arrangements have been made to provide for these costs through the Victims of Crime Office in the Department.

The spokesperson added that no further funding is available to the minister to set aside for the advocacy work being undertaken by Justice for the Forgotten.

Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said Taoiseach Brian Cowen should act and restore funding to the group.

Mr Ó Caoláin said 'it is shameful that their funding was terminated in the first place. The work of Justice for the Forgotten must be allowed to continue and it is up to the Taoiseach to ensure that it does.'