Northern Ireland: Donaldson case exposes urgent need for inquiry into faith-based child abuse and safeguarding failures

Amnesty International and a clerical abuse survivors’ group have called on Northern Ireland’s First Minister and Deputy First Minister to establish a public inquiry into clerical child abuse, implement all recommendations from a government-commissioned report into abuse in faith settings and meet directly with survivors.

The organisations said the Donaldson conviction demonstrates why allegations of abuse disclosed within a faith setting must be subject to robust safeguarding processes and independent scrutiny.

The call follows the conviction of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of child sex offences, and renewed scrutiny of safeguarding practices within Christian organisations.

Evidence heard during the case revealed that allegations against Donaldson were disclosed to individuals associated with Christian faith organisations as early as the 1990s, yet the matter was not reported to police until 2023 by the victims themselves.

Amnesty said the case raises profound questions about how allegations and disclosures of child abuse have been handled within faith-based organisations and whether opportunities to protect children were missed.

Patrick Corrigan, Head of Nations and Regions at Amnesty International UK, and a member of the Reference Group on Historical Clerical Child Abuse established by the Executive, said:

“The Donaldson case is a stark reminder of why Northern Ireland can no longer delay action on clerical child abuse.

“The fact that concerns about child sexual abuse were known within an organised religious setting long before police became involved, raises serious questions about safeguarding failures and institutional responses.

“If abuse is disclosed and not reported, children can be left at risk. Survivors are entitled to know whether opportunities to prevent further abuse were missed.

“The Donaldson case should be a watershed moment. The First and deputy First Minister should commit to implementing all recommendations, establish a proper public inquiry, and sit down face-to-face with victims and survivors, something they have so far refused to do.”

Nikella Holmes of the Interfaith Clerical Abuse Survivors Group, and a member of the Reference Group on Historical Clerical Child Abuse said:

“The conviction of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has exposed, yet again, why Northern Ireland can no longer delay confronting safeguarding failures within faith-based organisations. Churches in Northern Ireland can no longer be permitted the freedom to handle issues of abuse in-house.

“The First Minister and deputy First Minister have had the Executive-commissioned reports and its recommendations into clerical childhood sexual abuse in Northern Ireland since July 2025. Survivors have waited long enough. They must now implement those recommendations, establish a public inquiry into faith-based child abuse, ensure there is real accountability for safeguarding failures and hear the voices of survivors so that no more children are put at risk.”

The campaign groups said that a public inquiry would provide an opportunity to examine systemic failings across institutions, identify lessons that must be learned, and help restore public confidence in child protection arrangements.

An Interdepartmental Working Group (IDWG) was set up 10 years ago by the Northern Ireland Executive to investigate areas which fell outside the terms of reference of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry – one of which was historical clerical child abuse.

It commissioned three separate projects: one looked at the stories of survivors of abuse in faith settings, another focused on historical records, while a third examined safeguarding policies and practices in the faith sector.

In July 2025, the research findings were combined into one report, with recommendations for action, and presented to First Minister and deputy First Minister.

In March 2026, the Assembly Committee for the Executive Office wrote to Ministers to ask for publication of the report. This has not happened.

Members of the IDWG Reference Group on Historical Clerical Child Abuse – victims and survivors of such abuse – have repeatedly requested a meeting with the First Minister and deputy First Minister to discuss concerns but have been declined.