THE
Government has asked the Attorney General to examine a groundbreaking
report by the state’s human rights watchdog which calls for a
statutory enquiry into the Magdalene Laundries.
Last night, Fianna Fáil TDs, Tom Kitt and Michael
Kennedy and Labour’s Kathleen Lynch secured a Dáil adjournment to
discuss the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) report, with all three
calling on the state and religious orders to take responsibility.
Having assessed documentation provided to them by the Justice For
Magdalenes (JFM) group, the commission found there "was clear state
involvement in women’s entry to the laundries" and the state may have
breached international human rights law by failing to stop these women
being "held in servitude".
The IHRC also concluded involvement by the state in this area may have breached international law around forced labour and arbitrary detention.
Irish Human Rights Commissioner Olive Braiden said it was the "state’s duty" to apologise to these women and girls and to rectify the fact they were excluded from the Redress Board.
From the foundation of the state until the late 1970s, women entered the ‘for profit’ laundries by a number of different routes. Some girls entering the laundries were as young as 11 and some had intellectual disabilities.
They were sent to the institutions by courts following a suspended sentence or after being placed on remand or probation. They were also sent by religious bodies or their own families. A number also self-referred.
According to the IHRC, there is evidence that some of these women never left the laundries.
Referring to the "poor and incomplete records" available on these thousands of women, IHRC senior inquiry and legal officer, Sinéad Lucey said she presumed "they were in the hands of the religious orders".
She also said there were questions around what happened in the Magdalene Laundries "that only the religious can answer".
Member of the Justice for Magdalene’s Advisory Committee, Katherine O’Donnell, called on the state "to lead the way".
"It must convince the Church to acknowledge its part in the scandal and to open up its records. The state should also call upon the Church to honour its moral obligation to find the money to pay its share of the compensation to survivors."
Boston College professor James Smith, also a member of Advisory Committee, added: "The time to act is now. The Government must move beyond its ‘deny ‘til they die’ policy."
JFM is calling for an apology, compensation and a pension fund for the women as they were never paid for their work.
A Government spokesman said relevant departments, including Health, Education and Justice, were "not offered an opportunity to contribute to the commission’s consideration of this matter" and so were unable to "facilitate a fully balanced evaluation of all facts".
The IHRC also concluded involvement by the state in this area may have breached international law around forced labour and arbitrary detention.
Irish Human Rights Commissioner Olive Braiden said it was the "state’s duty" to apologise to these women and girls and to rectify the fact they were excluded from the Redress Board.
From the foundation of the state until the late 1970s, women entered the ‘for profit’ laundries by a number of different routes. Some girls entering the laundries were as young as 11 and some had intellectual disabilities.
They were sent to the institutions by courts following a suspended sentence or after being placed on remand or probation. They were also sent by religious bodies or their own families. A number also self-referred.
According to the IHRC, there is evidence that some of these women never left the laundries.
Referring to the "poor and incomplete records" available on these thousands of women, IHRC senior inquiry and legal officer, Sinéad Lucey said she presumed "they were in the hands of the religious orders".
She also said there were questions around what happened in the Magdalene Laundries "that only the religious can answer".
Member of the Justice for Magdalene’s Advisory Committee, Katherine O’Donnell, called on the state "to lead the way".
"It must convince the Church to acknowledge its part in the scandal and to open up its records. The state should also call upon the Church to honour its moral obligation to find the money to pay its share of the compensation to survivors."
Boston College professor James Smith, also a member of Advisory Committee, added: "The time to act is now. The Government must move beyond its ‘deny ‘til they die’ policy."
JFM is calling for an apology, compensation and a pension fund for the women as they were never paid for their work.
A Government spokesman said relevant departments, including Health, Education and Justice, were "not offered an opportunity to contribute to the commission’s consideration of this matter" and so were unable to "facilitate a fully balanced evaluation of all facts".
SIC: IE/IE