A/66/44
backlog of complaints and investigations which has accumulated. The Committee also
requests the State party to provide it with statistical data on (a) the number of
complaints of torture and ill-treatment filed against prison officers, the number of
investigations instituted, and the number of prosecutions and convictions imposed;
and (b) the number of cases that have been referred to the Garda Síochána.
Follow-up to the Ryan Report
(20) The Committee notes the efforts made by the State party concerning the plan it had
adopted in 2009 in order to implement the recommendations of the report of the
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, known as the Ryan Report. However, the
Committee is concerned that, according to a statement made by the Ombudsman for
Children in March 2011, significant commitments under the plan have yet to be
implemented. The Committee is also gravely concerned that despite the findings of the
Ryan Report that “physical and emotional abuse and neglect were features of the
institutions” and that “sexual abuse occurred in many of them, particularly boys’
institutions”, there has been no follow-up by the State party. The Committee is also
concerned that, despite the extensive evidence gathered by the Commission, the State party
has forwarded only 11 cases to prosecution, out of which 8 were rejected (arts. 12, 13, 14
and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Indicate how it proposes to implement all the recommendations of the
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse and indicate the time frame for doing so;
(b)
Institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into all cases
of abuse as found by the report and, if appropriate, prosecute and punish
perpetrators;
(c)
Ensure that all victims of abuse obtain redress and have an enforceable
right to compensation, including the means for as full rehabilitation as possible.
Magdalene Laundries
(21) The Committee is gravely concerned at the failure by the State party to protect girls
and women who were involuntarily confined between 1922 and 1996 in the Magdalene
Laundries, by failing to regulate and inspect their operations, where it is alleged that
physical, emotional abuses and other ill-treatment were committed, amounting to breaches
of the Convention. The Committee also expresses grave concern at the failure by the State
party to institute prompt, independent and thorough investigations into the allegations of illtreatment perpetrated on girls and women in the Magdalene Laundries (arts. 2, 12, 13, 14
and 16).
The Committee recommends that the State party institute prompt, independent and
thorough investigations into all complaints of torture and other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment that were allegedly committed in the Magdalene
Laundries and, in appropriate cases, prosecute and punish the perpetrators with
penalties commensurate with the gravity of the offences committed, and ensure that
all victims obtain redress and have an enforceable right to compensation, including
the means for as full rehabilitation as possible.
Children in detention
(22) The Committee takes note of the policy of the State party to detain children in
Children Detention Schools under the supervision of the Irish Youth Justice Service.
However, the Committee is gravely concerned that 16- and 17-year-old males are still
detained in St Patrick’s Institution, which is a medium-security prison that is custodial
rather than a care facility designed for children. The Committee is also concerned that
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