Irish Government inquiry finds ‘significant state involvement’ in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries

6th February 2013

Maeve O’Rourke, who brought the Magdalene Laundries case to the UN Committee against Torture in 2011, had assisted the Justice for Magdalenes advocacy group in submitting 3,500 pages of evidence to the inquiry, including over 700 pages of testimony.

As has been reported in the Irish and international press,

BBC
Independent
Irish Times
New York Times
Independent

The inquiry found widespread state involvement in the Magdalene Laundries’ system of incarceration and forced unpaid labour, including the direct referral of over 25% of the girls and women who spent time in the laundries, the involvement of police in returning escapees, the tendering of state laundry contracts, and regular monitoring by factories inspectors.

Maeve and the Justice for Magdalenes group are continuing to call on the Irish government for an immediate apology and compensation scheme for the survivors and their families.

Maeve has been interviewed by a number of National Media:

Irish Examiner
The Telegraph
RTE News