To, the minster Francis Fitzgerald.
I'm am writing on behalf of my mother and nan and many survivors and supporters who attended the magdalene women and children protest.
I had personally written a letter on behalf of the children and women within Ireland who seek for their justice and their mothers justice. My nan lays in a mass with 72 other women and was a slave to the laundries for 27 years, although social records state that all her children did not need safe guarding and was well looked after they separated the family due to my nan being a unmarried mother and a traveller. After 17 years of my Nan's service the doctors advised she should have her womb removed and instead the nuns left her with the womb she had and she died of cervical cancer. Her death could have been avoided but they left her suffer a further 10 years and let her die and dumped her body into a mass grave.
My mum was put into a abusive industrial school from the age of 2 and half and from the aged of 7 she was made to visit the magdalene laundries for 11 years of her life to see her mother drugged and lifeless and in pain. My mum was allowed to enter the laundries because she was part of sick deal made by the nuns which was given to Angela, the deal was if Angela signed over her youngest daughter Teresa then she would get to see her daughter Mary, after years of refusing to sign the papers Angela knew this could be her only chance to see one of her children, so she took it. Which exposed my mum to more mental and physical abuse and have left long lasting mental and physical scars. Teresa was illegally adopted as my nan was not in a fit state to make a choice as she was used as a guinea pig as she was drugged with medication and was also being brain shocked. Angela my Nan's 2nd eldest daughter was made to enter another magdalene laundries at the age of 14. Once she left she sadly committed suicide after not being able to track her family.
My family wish to free my nan from the mass grave and rebury her in a single grave and give her back some form of freedom and a human right of laying in your own grave and for also my mum to have a place to pay respect to her mum where she is not always reminded by the pain and separation and abuse her family had to go through. We have written to the graveyard and they have said it is possible to access the grave and remove her and have given us a price and also criteria's which we meet but we need permission from the church to dig on their land, we have requested in person and by letter but we are ignored.
On the 22nd we held a peaceful protest with Dublin outside the Dáil, as soon as my mother and my daughter and family got out of the cab, we were shouted at by a garda to cross the road, I went on to nicely say we have arranged a peaceful protest today and held one on the 15th of July and we were no trouble, he then shouted at me to get across the road again and I ask why can we not stand on a public walk way, what was the reason and with that he keep shouting and used very aggressive behaviour and body language. I noticed unlike the police in London he did not carry a camera, so I got one out and asked why I can not practice my human right on a public walk way? He then pushed my back, which I got all on camera. I am disgusted with the way the garda is allowed to treat the people for asking a question of why they couldn't practice their human rights. I'm disgusted by the way he was allowed to use force only because I asked a question. I wanted to get his badge number and as I crossed the road I had to quickly turn back because he shouted if I came on this side I would be taken to the station! For what reason should I had been arrested? When I was a victim of common assault by someone who is meant to protected the laws made! He had no right to touch my body, a man is not even meant to search a women, let alone use unessersy force for no reason in front of my young daughter and my mother who has had to go through enough aggression within her life received because of the states funding!
You can access the vedio of the common assult by the garda with this link:
https://www.facebook.com/Justice4AllWomen/videos/721943917906549/
We carried on and went on with our planned march we approached The Lord Mayors house and they happily took the letter and photocopied it for us kindly and spoke with us outside and treated us as humans. We then approached the open doors of the justice department and as we approach the metal door slammed down and we were locked out regardless of them being told in advance of us attending. All we wished to do was hand in a letter and we was refused, like we have been refused real justice. Survivors looked crushed, like they have been refused justice their whole life, now a department who is meant to be there for them had also refused and rejected them, a department who is meant to be there for the people, not lock them out and ignore them.
We carried on and went on with our planned march we approached The Lord Mayors house and they happily took the letter and photocopied it for us kindly and spoke with us outside and treated us as humans. We then approached the open doors of the justice department and as we approach the metal door slammed down and we were locked out regardless of them being told in advance of us attending. All we wished to do was hand in a letter and we was refused, like we have been refused real justice. Survivors looked crushed, like they have been refused justice their whole life, now a department who is meant to be there for them had also refused and rejected them, a department who is meant to be there for the people, not lock them out and ignore them.
I want to know what was the reason for them locking the doors? The excuse was they don't have them open during protests, well then I have a question why are you scared of the people you are meant to be helping and getting justice for? We were a peaceful protest seeking for justice, yet we are refused it, regardless of a department that claims to enforce justice.
Criminals like a women who was reported by my mum and many other survivors during the Ryan's report has been able to leave your country and work within the UK in st. guys hospital and work around more vulnerable people. 5 years ago my mum made a complaint to the garda regarding the sexual and physical abuse received by this women and they had tracked her down now to America and failed and still is failing to bring her back to Ireland to put her on trail. Where is justice for the victims within Ireland, why are you protecting the criminals?
I hope you take time to read this letter and not ignore it or shut it out of your mind, like we have been ignored justice and shut out of the justice department although we were a small group that even consisted of women and children. Something needs to change within Ireland and they need to start acknowledging the victims and the state and church needs to apologise to the children and prosecute the criminals. Real justice needs to be given to the victims made by the state and church.
Kind regards,
Laura Collins a representative of justice of 4 all magdalene women and children, written on behalf of my nan and mother and a group of survivors and family members.
Justice 4 all magdalene women
&
Children
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