September 25th: The Day the Last Magdalene Asylum Closed

On September 25th 1996, the last existing Magdalene Asylum was closed in Waterford, Ireland. Magdalene Asylums, the name deriving from Mary Magdalene the prostitute and 'fallen woman' from the Bible, were effectively prisons for women who were considered sexually promiscuous or 'fallen'. They were initially opened throughout Europe, Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States in order to correct women's attitudes and rehabilitate them back into society, with the earliest Asylum opening in Dublin in 1765. 

   The Asylums began by occupying these women with correction tasks and busying them with laundry, but by the early 20th Century, these establishments became increasingly prison-like. At first the Magdalene Asylums accepted sexually promiscuous women i.e. prostitutes, but later they opened their doors to mothers out of wedlock, women considered mentally retarded, abused women, or even young girls who were just considered to be too flirtatious or beautiful. Ireland especially was a hotbed for these Asylums, with both Protestant and Catholic conservative sexual values, women were targeted and accused of 'Magdalene' qualities all the time. It became a normal part of life for these women, and it shocked me how recently the last Asylum closed (1996). For this mistreatment of women to be an accepted part of society is disgusting. To put this in perspective for you, the Irish singer songwriter Sinead O'Connor spent time in a Magdalene Asylum when she was a young girl! 

   When the last Asylum closed, public scandal escalated from first-hand stories of women who had spent time in the punitive conditions, and the truth was unveiled about the realities of their experiences, claiming cases of sexual, psychological and physical abuse. The award-winning 2002 feature film The Magdalene Sisters portrays the isolated conditions and mistreatment women suffered in the Asylums. Does this shock you? How do you feel that women were tormented in this way only 16 years ago?