Magdalene Laundries Report finds direct State involvement

On 5 February 2013, the Inter-Departmental Committee investigating State involvement in the Magdalene laundries between 1922 and 1996 published their report. The report has found that the Irish State was directly involved in the Magdalene Laundry System.

Organisations including Justice for Magdalenes, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), and the National Women’s Council of Ireland have welcomed the report. 

The report confirms State involvement in numerous ways:

  • Over a quarter of the women held in the Magdalene laundries (for whom records were available) were sent in directly by the state;
  • the State gave lucrative laundry contracts to these institutions; and
  • the State inspected the laundries under the Factories Acts.

Justice for Magdalenes, a survivor advocacy group, is currently in dialogue with Dr. Martin McAleese and his team on a number of his findings, including, the omission of the Mercy-run Galway and Dun Laoghaire Magdalene laundries from the report.

Spokeswomen for Justice for Magdalenes, Claire McGettrick, said it was very important to note that while the report said 26.5 per cent of the women were in the laundries through State involvement, that figure did not take account of those returned to the laundries by gardaí when they escaped, the financial interactions of the State or official inspections.

ICCL Director Mark Kelly said “The State should never have allowed the Magdalene laundries to exist. It was the State’s responsibility to prevent the indentured servitude and unlawful incarceration of these women and girls, to whom it owed a duty of care.

Following a three hour meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny on 11 February, a delegation from Magdalene Survivors Together say that they are hopeful that the Taoiseach will deliver an apology on behalf of the state.

The Dáil is due to debate the issue in the coming weeks.

Click here to read a press release from Justice for Magdalenes

Click here to read an article from thejournal.ie

Click here to read a press release from the National Women’s Council of Ireland

Click here to read a press release from the Department of Justice and Equality

Share

Resources

Sustaining Partners