Was anyone of them ever held accountable for the abuse that took place or is it just seen as tragic but all in the past? I would hate to think those awful women (not saying all sisters were but those who did the bullying and torture) got away with it.
2007-01-24 08:37:55 · 6 answers · asked by Elle Dee 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
WIkipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalen_Asylum
or
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/08/sunday/main567365.shtml
I believe that an apology was issued, but that's about it. Not good enough in my opinion, but since when has the Catholic Church ever paid any attention to what a woman thinks?
And I say that as one who was brought up in the best Irish Catholic traditions!
2007-01-24 09:30:38 · answer #1 · answered by agneisq 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Magdalene Asylums in Ireland were run by the Sisters of Mercy on behalf of the Catholic Church. Young girls were sent there by families or orphanages and once there, were imprisoned and sent to work in the laundries where they could atone for their sins. Their sins varied from being unmarried mothers to being too pretty, too ugly, simple minded, too clever or being a victim of rape and talking about it. And for their sins they worked 364 days a year unpaid, they were half starved, beaten, humiliated, raped, their children forcibly removed from them. Their sentence was indefinite. Thousands of women lived and died there. The last Magdalene Asylum in Ireland closed in 1996, five years ago.
This film is from the point of view of four of these young women in the 1960s, an era mistakenly seen by some as a time of unchallenged female liberation. These young Catholic women find themselves in an almost medieval nightmare whilst the outside world tacitly (or in some cases actively) supports a theocratic state. It looks at how their personalities develop for better and for worse in an environment controlled and dominated by celibate women, servants of God, Brides of Christ. In their own ways the girls refuse to be beaten, but what victory is there if they remain imprisoned as little more than slaves? One gets out in a heartbreakingly banal fashion, one is imprisoned in a mental asylum, two finally rebel, run away, escape.
It is a fictional film that unfortunately happens to be true.
Esp
2007-01-24 22:53:49 · answer #2 · answered by Esp 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing has been done about it. I just read a book by Kathy o Beirne called Don,t ever tell. Kathy was sent to a magdalene laundry and experienced a terrible ordeal. In the book she fought for justice and for someone to take responsibility but as far as it goes she is still waiting for some kind of justice. Read the book it is very gripping, you'll probably launch it at the wall a few times-I did as it got me so mad.
2007-01-24 08:57:24 · answer #3 · answered by bunnybabe852000 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not sure whether anyone was brought up in court about the accusations about these convents but i would have hated to have been put in one of those houses. those poor girls were put through torturing time in there youth and i'm sure they are emotionally scared after their time there. Life was so hard back then, people were condemned fo sining. I am very glad that these are not around today!
2007-01-24 08:53:52 · answer #4 · answered by shortpeg2001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As far as i'm aware they got away with it right up until the last place closed in the 70's. You're right, their treatmen of those women was disgusting.
2007-01-24 08:51:22 · answer #5 · answered by L D 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
don't thimk anyone was brought to justice cos the church hid a lot.
2007-01-24 09:18:41 · answer #6 · answered by stormyweather 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋