IRELAND
Irish Times
AOIFE CARR
The four congregations who operated the Magdalene laundries have welcomed today’s report and apologised to women who experienced hurt in their care.
In a statement, the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of Refuge said it was with “deep regret” that women did not experience refuge under their care.
“For the past 160 years in Ireland our intention has been to offer refuge to women in need. The laundries which were attached to refuges were hard and demanding places to work. Many women used our refuges as a place of last resort. There are also many who found themselves in a refuge through no choice of their own,” it said.
“Regardless of why a woman was in a refuge or how she came to be there, we endeavored to provide care. It is with deep regret that we acknowledge that there are women who did not experience our refuge as a place of protection and care. Further, it is with sorrow and sadness that we recognize that for many of those who spoke to the Inquiry that their time in a refuge is associated with anxiety, distress, loneliness, isolation, pain and confusion and much more.
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