Justice for Magdalenes Research NGO submission to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in respect of Ireland

Abstract

Paragraph 5 of the Committee’s List of issues prior to reporting (LOIPR)i addresses Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries abuse. The Committee asks Ireland about the following: (1) Whether the State will establish an independent, effective investigation into the full extent of human rights violations in the Magdalene Laundries, including deprivation of liberty and forced, unpaid labour; (2) Whether the State has taken measures to ensure the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of abuse in the Magdalene Laundries; and (3) The status of various elements of the Magdalene “ex gratia” scheme, including: a. the scheme’s treatment of women who live abroad; b. the provision of health and community care under the scheme; c. the women’s need for adaptation services; d. the experiences of women who have been deemed to lack sufficient capacity to apply to the scheme; and e. the establishment of the promised Dedicated Unit under the scheme. 1.2 In asking these detailed questions, the Committee is adding to previous expressions of concern regarding the Magdalene Laundries by three other United Nations treaty bodies and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission.ii 1.3 This report by JFM Research (JFMR) replies to the Committee’s questi