THE JUSTICE for Magdalenes group yesterday presented a statement to the United Nations Committee Against Torture in Geneva on the suffering endured by women who were sent to work in Ireland’s Magdalene laundries.
In a closed session, human rights expert Maeve O’Rourke was expected to highlight the continuing tardiness of the State in investigating what had happened in the institutions.
On Monday the committee will for the first time examine Ireland on its human rights obligations in general.
The invitation to the group to present yesterday’s statement followed a formal submission to the UN committee on the Magdalene laundries.
The submission, prepared by Ms O’Rourke, Harvard Law School 2010 Global Human Rights Fellow, drew attention to Irelands continuing violations of its legal duties under the Convention Against Torture.
This obliges Ireland to promptly and impartially investigate allegations of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment such as that which allegedly took place in the laundries.
The submission also highlighted the continuing degradation endured by the women due to Government failure to apologise or to arrange compensation. It was expected that the lobby group would tell the committee that girls were imprisoned in the laundries and forced to work for no pay.
In the Dáil last Wednesday, Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said he expected “to bring the matter before the Government by the end of the first week in June at the very latest, if not this month”.
