Jfm Research Publishes Critique of Mcaleese Report

Justice for Magdalenes
February 20, 2015

http://www.magdalenelaundries.com/press/JFMR%20PR%20190215.pdf

[full text]

[* JFMR Death, Institutionalisation & Duration of Stay: A critique of Chapter 16 of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries and related issues]

[* Appendix 1]

[* Appendix 2]

Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR) has published the first in a series of critiques of the Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee to establish the facts of State involvement with the Magdalen Laundries (IDC Report). Published to coincide with the second anniversary of the State apology, JFMR’s critique discusses issues around death, the institutionalisation of former Magdalene women, as well as JFMR’s research on Magdalene graves and duration of stay.

Instead of answering questions on the serious issues surrounding deaths in Magdalene Laundries, Chapter 16 of the IDC Report gives exclusive attention to the religious orders’ version of events and completely ignores survivor testimony, as well as substantial submissions from JFM raising concerns about the funeral and burial practices in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries.

To-date, JFMR has recorded the details of 1,663 women who died in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, almost twice the figure cited in the IDC Report. JFMR’s data accounts for the number of women who died in the Magdalene institutions between 1835 and 2014. The IDC Report on the other hand does not count the deaths of women who died in the laundries before 1922 and those who continued to live institutionalised lives in the charge of the religious orders.

For the period covered by the IDC Report (1922 until the closure of each laundry), JFMR has recorded 768 deaths, while the IDC states that 879 women died during this time. The reasons for this discrepancy are complex and are discussed in Section 1.5 of the critique. ...

Key findings

? To-date, JFMR has recorded the details of 1,663 women who died in Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, almost twice the figure cited in the IDC Report. JFMR’s data accounts for the number of women who died in the Magdalene institutions between 1835 and 2014. The IDC Report on the other hand does not count the deaths of women who died in the laundries before 1922 and those who continued to live institutionalised lives in the charge of the religious orders.

? For the period covered by the IDC Report (1922 until the closure of each laundry), JFMR has recorded 768 deaths, while the IDC states that 879 women died during this time. The reasons for this

discrepancy are complex and are discussed in Section 1.5 of the critique.

? The IDC Report omits public cemeteries that are used by the religious orders after the closure of the laundries and thus the IDC missed an opportunity to provide assistance to the family and friends of deceased Magdalene women who would like to visit the graves of their loved ones.