image sourced from original article at Christina Carroll, born in the Tuam Mother and Baby Home in County Galway, has revealed she was trafficked to the United States at the age of 16 despite objections from a child welfare officer. A passport was issued to a man unrelated to her after years of failed attempts to secure custody. Local authority records show officials had warned against allowing her removal, citing his age, false claims of kinship and concerns about her welfare.
Carroll recalls being taken from her foster home against her wishes in 1967 and sent alone to New Jersey, where she says she was treated 'like a slave' by the elderly man and his wife. She was forced to hand over her wages, made to work long hours as a maid and denied privacy. She later fled, but says the man continued to stalk her.
Her testimony also details neglect and prejudice she experienced as a fostered child, including being withdrawn from school lessons for chores. A recent formal State apology acknowledged the suffering of children placed in foster care from mother and baby homes, but no compensation scheme has been extended to them. Carroll says she is speaking out so people understand 'the way we were treated. Like we were nothing.'
