Institutional abuse in Ireland: Lessons from Magdalene survivors and legal professionals

The girls and women who were incarcerated in Ireland’s Magdalene institutions found themselves under lock and key due largely to perceptions that they were at risk of violating or had violated moral rather than legal codes. Their treatment was considerably worse than the treatment of those imprisoned under the Irish criminal justice system. Addressing the manifold injustices that they suffered is still an on-going issue for groups such as Justice for Magdalenes Research and survivors themselves, and this chapter offers an introduction to the legal rights and difficulties faced by former Magdalenes and other survivors of institutional abuse seeking justice. In particular, the chapter discusses the findings of a 24-month European research project in which the authors were involved, entitled SASCA (Support to Adult Survivors of Child Abuse in institutional settings).