Magdalene Laundries inquiry ordered

Published: Tuesday, November 09, 2010

The Government must launch an official inquiry into the treatment of women and girls detained in so-called Magdalene Laundries, it has been ruled.

The Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said compensation should be paid to former residents where the state is found to have had a hand in their detention at 10 Catholic Church reformatory workhouses.

IHRC commissioner Olive Braiden said the lack of public records meant only a statutory inquiry would uncover the truth.

She said many women were omitted from the Residential Institutions Redress Scheme based on the argument that there was no state responsibility. However Ms Braiden said it was clear the state and Irish society in general bears responsibility for the way they were treated.

"We are dealing with a small and vulnerable group of women who the Government admitted as far back as 2001 were victims of abuse, but who have received no proper recognition for the hurt they experienced and continue to experience," said Ms Braiden.

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This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Independent, Tuesday November 9, 2010

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