DUBLIN — For years, it was Ireland’s hidden scandal: An estimated 30,000 women were sent to church-run laundries, where they were abused and worked for years with no pay. Their offense, in the eyes of society, was to break the strict sexual rules of Catholic Ireland, having children outside wedlock. Although it has been more than a decade since their story came to light, the women are still waiting for an apology and possibly compensation.
Now, the advocacy group Justice for Magdalenes, which has spent the past two years lobbying the Irish government to investigate the history of the laundries, is taking the case to the U.N., alleging the abuse amounted to human-rights violations. It hopes an official rebuke will shame the government into action.
Denver Post wire services
