UK’s Starmer apologises over forced adoptions, decries a ‘stain on our history’
By Muvija M.
LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer apologized on Thursday to women who were forced to give up their babies or were separated from their mothers at birth due to a forced adoption system that targeted unmarried women for decades after the Second World War.
It is estimated that around 185,000 children in the UK are separated from their mothers. Starmer apologized on behalf of the state for the lifelong trauma it has caused.
“On behalf of the whole country, I say to everyone affected: We are deeply sorry,” Starmer told parliament. he said, describing what happened to the victims as “a stain on our history.”
“The government has not done enough to protect mothers, children and families from harm, and I am truly sorry for this systemic failure.”
Between 1949 and 1976, the British state and Christian churches created a system in which young women who had children out of wedlock were shamed and forced to give up their babies to conform to the social norms of the time.
The Church of England last month apologized for its role, acknowledging its role in running so-called “mother and baby homes” where unmarried women were separated from their babies, often against their will, during pregnancy or after giving birth.
The state’s apology followed similar apologies from Ireland and Australia, four years after Britain’s human rights committee concluded the government was “ultimately responsible” for a lack of protection for unmarried mothers and their babies.
Starmer said the government would spend £4 million ($5.3 million) on helping people access adoption records, funding intermediary services to help people reconnect with family members, and research and reference projects to document the long-term impact.
Starmer had met a group of affected mothers and children at his home in Downing Street earlier on Thursday.
“It was never a shame for you. The shame is actually ours. The shame belongs to the state and those responsible for this,” he said.
($1 = 0.7502 pounds)
(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by William James and Timothy Heritage)
