A brother and sister who were separated from their parents amid the mother and baby home scandal in Ireland face a significant disparity in compensation eligibility. Rosemary Adaser, a 70-year-old resident of Ealing, west London, is one of the many children who were placed in abusive institutions due to being born outside of marriage in Ireland.
If Adaser chooses to accept compensation from the Irish mother and baby institutions payment scheme, set to begin in 2024, she risks losing a substantial portion of her housing benefit—at least £1,000 each month. This is due to a legal loophole that classifies the compensation from a foreign government as cash savings, making her subject to means-testing for benefits and social care, unlike her brother, Anthony Adaser, who continues to reside in Ireland and has received compensation without facing similar penalties.
Anthony has expressed his frustration with this situation, describing it as “galling” and lamenting that his sister is deprived of the “peace of mind” that his compensation has afforded him during retirement.
On March 13, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans for the implementation of “Philomena’s law,” designed to protect survivors from financial penalties. However, without a clear legislative schedule or temporary protections, around 13,000 survivors remain at risk of losing their benefits, leaving many elderly individuals to navigate their challenges with local authorities alone.
Rosemary Adaser remarked, “This is just another form of institutional abuse. I raised my family without any support from benefits. Now that I can no longer work, the government’s inaction feels like it is pushing me towards despair.” She added, “Survivors are frightened to come forward for fear of losing their benefits and are suffering without what they rightfully deserve. I hesitate to apply for compensation because I rely on housing benefits to maintain my independence, fearing I might find myself institutionalized once more.”
The twins were born in a mother and baby home in Belfast to a Ghanaian doctor and an Irish hospital receptionist. In the socially conservative environment of 1950s Ireland, they were placed in institutions and separated at the age of six, only reuniting at twelve.
Adaser endured “relentless degradation” throughout her time in various institutions in Dublin and Kilkenny, including experiences of abuse and forced labor. She recalls, “I was unaware of the N-word’s meaning until an older girl slapped me and told me to look it up. While I’m not claiming to have had it worse than others, in a place where violence was common, skin color was secondary. However, I was always marked out as different, unable to blend into Irish society like my peers.”
At the age of 16, Adaser was placed in a mother and baby home after becoming pregnant, and her son was taken from her. They were eventually reunited in adulthood. She managed to avoid being sent to a Magdalene laundry thanks to the kindness of a progressive couple, Bryan and Mary Rothery, who encouraged her to leave Ireland. She relocated to London in 1976, escaping the discrimination she faced in employment and housing back home.
Reflecting on her time in the UK, she stated, “The 1970s were challenging for many Irish immigrants, but I was often not recognized as Irish, which allowed me to sidestep some of those difficulties. I engaged deeply with Black politics and thrived in 1970s London.”
As a retired housing director, Adaser is now seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister. Her lawyer, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, emphasized the importance of expediting the passage of Philomena’s law and urged the government to instruct local authorities to ensure that benefits remain unaffected during this transitional period. “How much longer must elderly and distressed survivors endure this wait?” she questioned.
The Department for Work and Pensions has stated that it is “carefully considering” the circumstances surrounding this issue.
