Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the survivors of the Magdalen laundries who are in the Visitors Gallery and the hundreds of other people who are following this debate intently. I particularly commend the women and the groups and individuals who advocated on their behalf and shone the light so that the rest of us could see. Táimíd fíor-bhuíoch díobh. Táimid uilig go han-bhrónach faoi na rudaí a dhearna an Stát ar na mná cróga, iontacha seo. I also acknowledge and thank the Taoiseach for his fulsome and comprehensive apology to the Magdalen women on behalf of the State and commend his remarks.

The 1916 Proclamation, which has yet to become a reality, addresses itself to Irish men and women giving recognition to that reality. It is a mission statement of Irish republicanism at the start of the 20th century which remains as vital and relevant today as it was then. It is a charter of rights for citizens, which guarantees religious and civil liberties, equal rights and equal opportunities for all. It is a charter of rights for equality, solidarity and freedom for all the people of this island. This is not what emerged in our partitioned island post-1916.

The women of the Magdalen laundries had no rights. They were objects of a conservative dispensation governed by conservative elites in the Church and political establishment. In the manner of their incarceration and treatment in the Magdalen laundries, these women were slaves of a brutal and inhuman regime to which Irish Governments turned a blind eye. Successive Governments endorsed and used these institutions.

Anti-Slavery International's definition of slavery is where "People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'employers'." There are common characteristics which distinguish slavery from other human rights violations. These include when a person is forced to work, dehumanised, treated as a commodity, physically constrained or has restrictions placed on his or her freedom of movement.

Last September I listened to President Obama state, "When a woman is locked in a sweatshop or trapped in a home as a domestic servant, alone and abused and incapable of leaving, that’s slavery." These are descriptions with which I am sure the Magdalen women - the survivors - listening to this debate will immediately identify. It was an essential part of their life experiences in the laundries. In a recent article James M. Smith gave a graphic example. He described how two sisters were put to work. One of the two, aged 14, was placed in the Good Shepherd Convent in New Ross. He recounts the horror of her existence:

For the next five years she washed society’s dirty laundry and received no pay. When she refused to work the nuns cut her hair as punishment. The hair grew back but to this day the loss of her education angers her. To her, it was a prison in all but name. There was no inspector, no child welfare officer. She was abandoned and no one cared.


Sixty years later this woman lives with the stigma and shame attached to these institutions. These are the indelible stains on her life.

This was slavery and, as the Taoiseach stated, the State failed to challenge or end it or provide for its victims. On the contrary, as we now know the State employed the system for decades.

In July 1960, James Connolly's daughter, Nora Connolly O'Brien, addressed the Seanad on a criminal justice Bill. That piece of Government legislation, according to Nora Connolly O'Brien's contribution to the debate, would permit young women on remand to be legally committed to St. Mary Magdalen's Asylum. Nora warned that any girl held there would "suffer for the rest of her life the stigma of having at one time been an inmate of that asylum". The Bill provided that girls would have a choice of going to St. Mary Magdalen's Asylum or prison, and Nora Connolly O'Brien's objection to the Magdalen system was so great she stated that if asked for her advice she would wholeheartedly tell girls to choose prison.

Much of what went on in the laundries and the ill-treatment inflicted on women and young girls, some as young as nine, has also been described in previous reports. The Ryan report detailed the women's forced unpaid labour in the laundries and stated their working conditions were harsh, that they were completely deprived of their liberty and suffered physical and emotional abuse. Those who tried to escape and who were caught were returned to these institutions.

As far back as November 2010 an assessment report on the Magdalen laundries for the Irish Human Rights Commission called on the Government to establish a statutory inquiry and provide redress for the survivors. The following May, the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment commended that the Irish State should ensure survivors from the laundries obtain redress. It also expressed its grave concern at the failure by the State to institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into the allegations of ill-treatment of the women. In June 2012 the Government, and it is to be commended for doing so, established the interdepartmental committee to clarify whether the State had any interaction with the laundries. I welcome the publication of the McAleese report and thank Martin McAleese and his team for their work. However, the Government's strictly limited terms of reference mean some of the Magdalen laundries and the stories of some of the women are not included in the report. According to Amnesty International today, this also includes previously unknown laundries in the North. Neither does the report cover the scandalous and equally harsh conditions in Bethany Home. These significant gaps must be addressed if a comprehensive and effective resolution of the treatment of girls and women by the State in institutions is to be achieved.

I welcome the meetings the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Tánaiste have had with some of the survivors. I also have had the honour of meeting some of these women, and they are remarkable women who are living witnesses of a terrible injustice. They have told the Taoiseach, as he has told us, of their personal experience and of the horrendous and brutal conditions endured by more than 10,000 women in Magdalen laundries. Some of the survivors feel the 1,000 page report by former Senator McAleese does not accurately reflect the abuse and suffering all the women endured in these institutions. The report states only a minority experienced physical abuse and none suffered sexual abuse. Many will take issue with this statement.

The Taoiseach's apology this evening for what occurred will be warmly welcomed. What is now needed is a process of redress by the State which treats all of the Magdalen survivors on the basis of equality and provides for their future in a comprehensive fashion. As the Taoiseach acknowledged clearly, the starting point must be that their incarceration was wrong, that they were treated as slaves, that their basic rights as citizens and human beings were trampled on and that the State must bear the burden of putting this right. Time is of the essence. Many of these women are elderly and unwell. They have lived with the stigma of Magdalen laundries and the brutality they experienced during their incarceration for their entire lives. The Government has responsibility to act quickly. We cannot compound the women's trauma by failing to respond promptly and in a satisfactory way. The Dáil may have concerns about the redress scheme announced, and on which the Taoiseach has commissioned a report from Mr. Justice John Quirke. We want to hear more of the details of this.

The State has responsibility to care for citizens and protect them from abuse. Our acknowledgement that the State failed all of the girls and women without any exception whatsoever requires we bring forward a non-adversarial redress scheme. The women must be compensated for lost wages and pensions. Any of their immediate health, housing and counselling needs must also be promptly catered for. A package needs to be prepared for these women to compensate them for the effects of the abuse they suffered in the laundries, and this requires a transparent compensation package. This will be the mark against which the Government's proposals will be judged.

As Martin McAleese records in his report, the women endured unspeakable horror. He states, "None of us can begin to imagine the confusion and fear experienced by these young girls, in many cases little more than children, on entering the Laundries - not knowing why they were there, feeling abandoned, wondering whether they had done something wrong, and not knowing when - if ever - they would get out and see their families again."

We are all agreed the Magdalen women have suffered for long enough. They now need justice. Despite their experiences, all of those whom I have met have remained feisty, strong, resilient and good-humoured, and some of them have campaigned relentlessly for justice over many years. They are more than victims. They are more than survivors. They have become role models for the rest of us on the island, and others beyond, who seek justice, equality and freedom. The Magdalen women are an inspiration, and the Dáil and the people of the island owe them a debt of gratitude for their endeavours on behalf of each other and all those who are victims of abuse.

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