UN Torture Committee asks for inquiry into Magdalene laundries

They may not be in existance any more but their decendents are alive and bearing scars that will never head. God Help Tham

As the Queen said in her speech concerning the history between "our two countries" - "We must not be bound by the past, but we must bow to the past". IF that's good enough for the genocide which her family members perpetrated on an entire nation, then is must also apply in this case.

Abhorrent that it would take this long! Unfortunately Justice may not come to them may may bring solace to their heirs but at least someone needs to be accountable.

You know there is never any excuse for this awful part of history.Apologies from the Government and the Church would probably be appropriate but there is never a chance at making things right with the victims. Having said that, however, the people in charge now;Government & Church are historically detached from these atrocities and restitution is economic and really doesn't do the trick. Any Government, i.e, the US with the imprisonment of Japanese Americans and Slavery or Germany with the extermination of European Jews or Cambodia as respects the Pol Pot Regime can never remedy crimes against humanity with a few bucks per victim. We must resolve, as a human race, never to allow these type of things to occur again. Finally, there were such bizarre reasons why these young women were sent to these laundries that you could never lump this all into one crime with only one or two perpetrators.

Justice is never too late

I'm unsure of the "restitution" side of the argument. Though, one must admit that the "laundry" was very near slavery. However, there is the question of citizenship for babies given up for adoption to the U.S. while their mothers were under duress.

lIKE CLOSING THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSES GOT OUT....LET IT GO THERE NOT IN EXISTENCE ANYMORE

It's the Church and it's close assoc. with the Govt. that allowed it... Another shame on Ireland

This way overdue. Why has it taken so long to address such blatant abuse? Why did it take a UN committee to deal with this issue?

I am a faculty member at Boston College, not as reported, at Boston University (with all due respect to that august institution). Please follow breaking developments with the JFM Campaign at our Website (www.magdalenelaundries.com) and FB pages, and thank you for your support, Jim Smith