dinsdag, april 02, 2013

Survivor Guide to Magdalen Commission ; Justice for Magdalenes

2-4-2013
Irish Times
Patsy McGarry 

The Justice for Magdalenes advocacy group has published a guide for women who were incarcerated in the Magdalene laundries as they prepare to engage with the Government Magdalene Fund. Titled Survivor Guide to Magdalen Commission , it is available at magdalenelaundries.com.

Following the official State apology by Taoiseach Enda Kenny on February 19th, the Government asked Mr Justice John Quirke to undertake a three-month review following which he is to make recommendations on criteria for applications to the Magdalene Fund.

Women who had been in the laundries and who have not already registered with the Magdalene Commission are encouraged to do so.

The group’s guide is intended solely as an aid to the women. Its purpose is to help them and their families create a checklist of their current needs.

The group has emphasised that it is not intended to supplant or replace any official documents created by the Magdalene Commission or the Irish State and that it is being offered solely to help the women engage with the statutory process.

It was prepared by the advocacy group as a practical response to requests for guidance made to it by some women who had been in the laundries, their relatives and some politicians.
It has also been supplied to other Magdalene support groups as well as to relevant NGOs, citizens information and family resource centres.

The Justice for Magdalenes group is particularly anxious that survivors not affiliated or aligned with any support group, as well as those among the wider Irish diaspora, are made aware of the need to register with the Magdalene Commission .

The Government decided on 19 February 2013 to establish a Fund for the benefit of those who spent time in a Magdalen Laundry or St Mary's Stanhope Street.

Mr Justice Quirke has been asked to advise on the establishment of a Scheme under the Fund (to operate on a non-adversarial basis) including identifying the criteria and factors to be taken into account (such as work undertaken in the Laundries for no remuneration). He will advise on the operation of the Fund and, in particular, the nature and amount of payments to be made out of the Fund. Until he reports back to the Government, no decisions will be made on the detailed operation of the fund.

The purpose of this form is to allow you to register an interest in being considered for benefits from the fund in due course. If you complete the form below, you will be contacted as soon as a decision has been on the nature of the Scheme.
This form is not a legal document nor should it be construed as giving any person an automatic entitlement to benefit from the fund.




The Institutions considered relevant to this expression of interest are:


Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of Refuge:
St Mary’s Refuge, High Park, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin;
Monastery of Our Lady of Charity Sean McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street), Dublin 1;

Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy:
Magdalen Asylum / Magdalen Home, No. 47 Forster Street, Galway;
St Patrick’s Refuge, Crofton Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin;

Religious Sisters of Charity:
St Mary Magdalen’s, Floraville Road, Donnybrook, Dublin;
St Vincent’s, St Mary’s Road, Peacock Lane, Cork;

Sisters of the Good Shepherd:
St Mary’s, Cork Road, Waterford;
St Mary’s, New Ross, Wexford;
St Mary’s, Pennywell Road, Limerick;
St Mary’s, Sundays Well, Cork.

And while not a Magdalen Laundry but included in the Fund:

Religious Sisters of Charity:
St Mary’s, Stanhope Street, Dublin 7 (laundry operated in the Training Centre)


Registration forms are available at http://iti.ms/Z4cL8L or by phoning 01-476 8649

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