Magdalene laundry victims focus on State liability

Magdalene campaigners have questioned why a State apology was given to laundry survivors when the Government denies the State has any liability in the matter.

In a submission to the UN Committee Against Torture, the Justice for Magdalenes Research (JFMR) group pointed to contradictory statements made by the then taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and the Department of Justice on the issue of State liability.

In his apology in 2013, Mr Kenny clearly acknowledged the role of the State in the women’s “ordeal”, while the McAleese report found State involvement in a range of areas — most notably that over one quarter of all recorded admissions to Magdalene laundries were made or facilitated by State actors.