Open petition: Inquiry into historic forced labour in laundries

Created by Richard Douglas Elliott
Closes on 1 April 2027

Launch a national public inquiry into the forced labour of girls in mostly Catholic-run laundries. Investigate state oversight failures and establish a financial justice scheme for victims.

For decades, vulnerable girls were confined in church-run laundries under conditions amounting to modern-day slavery. Residents endured unpaid forced labour and psychological abuse, often enabled by a complete breakdown in state oversight and social services. While Northern Ireland has opened historical investigations, we feel national accountability is urgently required. The public must know how authorities allowed this to happen. We demand total transparency and formal accountability.

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