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Ireland ratified the Convention against Torture in 2002 but has still not ratified its Optional Protocol (OPCAT). This is troubling, given Ireland’s horrendous history of institutionalizing innocent children and women in need of care. From the 1920s to the 1990s, there were many cases of ill-treatment of women and children in State-funded institutions, operated by religious orders, where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth. Findings from investigations include high child mortality rates, poor conditions, physical and emotional abuse, and adoptions without the women’s informed consent. Many of these women are still waiting for reparations after the ill-treatment and trauma that they were subjected to. Since 2011, the Committee against Torture has recommended effective investigations, prosecutions, the production of information, access to justice, and comprehensive redress and reparation in relation to these abuses.
Asylum seekers are not being adequately protected against human rights violations are subjected to dire conditions of accommodation. There have been many cases of sexual violence reported but survivors face serious barriers to accessing rape crisis support.