"TRAIL of Tears" Reveals Betrayal of Young, Infirm and Vulnerable

By Eilish O'Regan
Irish Independent
February 6, 2013

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/trail-of-tears-reveals-betrayal-of-young-infirm-and-vulnerable-3377911.html

VULNERABLE women were betrayed by health authorities and ended up in Magdalene Laundries after being in psychiatric hospitals, acute hospitals, foster care and mother and baby homes.

The trail of tears outlined in the report revealed how, even in the 1970s, a girl as young as 11 ended up in a laundry.

"Some referrals were of very young girls and it was not always clear why," according to the McAleese report.

The youngest referred from a hospital or by a medical professional was just 13 years old and the oldest was 71.