Women's human rights violation in Ireland Magdalene Laundries and the Patronato de Protección a la Mujer centers in Spain

Abstract

This paper approaches, from a feminist epistemology, a reflection about the abusive treatment inflicted on women and girls in the Irish Magdalene Laundries, mostly during the XXth century, and the Spanish Patronato de Protección a la Mujer centers, under Franco dictatorship. These institutions make part of a wider scheme of contention architecture aimed to control people in situation of vulnerability, mostly women and minors, which imply a structure of social and gender inequality, and an educational model based on correctional education and repression, instead of equality, human rights and social justice. Different actors involved are visualized, as well as the political, religious, and androcentric-patriarchal systems which determine the social roles attributed to men and women and their inequalitarian power position in society. Survivors agency and civil society political incidence are also analysed, especially in the Irish case.