NORTHERN IRELAND
UTV
Northern Ireland’s First and Deputy First Ministers have said a forum should be established to acknowledge the alleged mistreatment of young women at Catholic-run Magdalene workhouses.
Victims have been campaigning for an inquiry after investigations in the Republic of Ireland uncovered evidence of harsh conditions and callous treatment.
The laundries were institutions for single mothers detained through the courts or for teenage girls and young women deemed by their family or clergy for being sexually active and were run by Catholic religious orders.
A statement from OFMDFM said: “We recognise that there are women who were over the age of 18 when they entered the Magdalene laundry-type institutions and there is a need to provide them with a forum where their issues can be addressed and their experiences acknowledged.”
The Good Shepherd Sisters ran a laundry and home in Belfast from the late 19th century until 1977 and 1990 respectively.
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