THE GOVERNMENT statement last night on Magdalene laundries has been broadly welcomed by the Justice for Magdalenes advocacy group.
However there was disappointment that an apology to survivors is not yet forthcoming.
The statement was “one further step in bringing restorative justice and reparation to all survivors of Magdalene laundries”, the group said.
It looked forward to working with the State and the relevant four religious congregations, who ran the 10 laundries concerned, in coming weeks and months “to bring about a prompt and timely resolution to the work of the inter-departmental committee”.
It noted “that the Government is not yet prepared to issue a formal apology to the women”, for whom “an apology remains their priority”.
It recalled how so many survivors of the laundries had over recent days again stressed the importance of an apology “as a first crucial step in restoring their dignity and sense of citizenship.”
The Justice for Magdalenes statement continued: “We are aware of the legal implications that an apology may bring and the State’s concern in that regard, but we remind the Government that the United Nations Committee Against Torture (Uncat) has already found the State liable.”
It quoted from the UN report, published on June 6th, which stated: “The committee is gravely concerned at the failure by the State party to protect girls and women who were involuntarily confined between 1922 and 1996 in the Magdalene laundries, by failing to regulate their operations and inspect them, where it is alleged that physical, emotional abuses and other ill-treatment were committed amounting to breaches of the convention.”
The Justice for Magdalenes group last night also said it looked forward to an opportunity to meet Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and Minister of State for Older Persons Kathleen Lynch on the issue, as requested in recent weeks.
Now that there was a willingness to conduct an independent inquiry, the advocacy group said it wanted to provide the State, the four congregations and the inter-departmental committee with its sense of how a restorative and reconciliation process might progress.
“We feel strongly that our research and discussions with survivors, as well as our knowledge of these institutions and the nature of their relationships with other institutions, would be an important contribution to a prompt and speedy resolution to an independent investigation.”
The last Magdalene laundry in the State, at Seán MacDermott Street in Dublin, closed in October 1996.
After 1922 there were 10 such laundries in the State.
Those operated by the Sisters of Mercy were at Galway and Dún Laoghaire; by the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity at Drumcondra and Seán MacDermott Street in Dublin.
The Sisters of Charity operated launderies at Donnybrook, Dublin, and Cork, and the Good Shepherd Sisters ran launderies at Limerick, Cork, Waterford, and New Ross.
MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE STATEMENT
THE GOVERNMENT today considered the circumstances of the women and girls who resided in the Magdalene laundries.
The Government welcomed the statement made last week by Cori on behalf of the four congregations, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity, the Religious Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Mercy and the Good Shepherd Sisters who indicated their "willingness" to "bring clarity, understanding, healing and justice in the interests of all the women involved".
The Government believes it is essential to fully establish the true facts and circumstances relating to the Magdalene laundries as a first step.
The following has been agreed:
1. An inter-departmental committee will be established, chaired by an independent person, to clarify any State interaction with the Magdalene Laundries and to produce a narrative detailing such interaction.
2. The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Alan Shatter TD and the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, Kathleen Lynch TD, are to meet with the religious congregations and the groups representing former residents of the Magdalene laundries. Their discussions will include addressing the following matters;
a. The making available by the congregations of all records maintained by them with regard to the residents of the Magdalene laundries to enable all available information about former residents to be shared with them and also made available for appropriate research purposes.
b. The provision of information concerning the number of persons currently residing with or in the care of the religious congregations who originally commenced such residence in the Magdalene laundries and who have remained in their care.
c. To discuss the putting in place of a restorative and reconciliation process and the structure that might be utilised to facilitate such process.
The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence together with the Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health and Older People, will now be following up on this Government decision with the relevant parties.
Consideration is being given to the appropriate independent person to appoint to chair the inter-departmental committee. It was agreed by Government that an initial report should be made to Cabinet on the progress being made by the inter-departmental committee within three months of its establishment.
