IRELAND
Irish Times
Ruadhan Mac Cormaic
The United Nations torture watchdog has criticised the McAleese inquiry into the Magdalene laundries, saying it lacked many elements of a “prompt, independent and thorough” investigation.
The UN Committee Against Torture wrote to the Government last month asking for information as to measures the State was planning to take “to ensure there is a full inquiry into all complaints of abuse”, as the committee had originally recommended.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny apologised to women who had spent time in Magdalene laundries after the inquiry, chaired by former senator Martin McAleese, found that the State played a significant role in sending thousands of young women to the institutions.
However, groups representing the women believe the report did not fully capture the prevalence of abuse and ill-treatment in the laundries.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.