Ireland will pay out more than A$81 Million to right the sins of the past.  The money will go to the girls and women who were sentenced to forced labor in the notorious Magdalene Laundries.

Run by Roman Catholic nuns, women were sentenced to the Magdalene Laundries for “crimes” as minor as shoplifting (such as in the case of singer Sinead O’Connor), but also for being pregnant outside of marriage or being sexually abused.  Girls as young as 9-years-old were sent there to perform unpaid manual labor. 

The payments will range from more than A$16 thousand for women who were there for fewer than 3 months, ranging to a maximum award of more than A$140 thousand.  Women will also receive a range of supports, including an enhanced medical card and pension.

The Irish government in February apologized to the surviving women.

One in ten women who passed through the Magdalene Laundries died, and the youngest of those was just 15-years old.  Families of inmates who died will not be eligible for compensation from this fund.