Abuse survivor Alice says institutional abuse has destroyed her life

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry will listen to oral hearings for the first time in Banbridge later today. The inquiry is examining allegations of abuse in state-run children's homes and other institutions over a 73-year period. It was set up by Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive to investigate allegations dating from 1922 to 1995. To date, 434 people have contacted the inquiry to allege they were abused. However, victims of clerical child abuse and former residents of Magdalene laundry-style institutions in Northern Ireland are excluded from the remit.