Padraig Harrington appeared on Liveline this afternoon to explain the reason behind his controversial mother and baby home tweet which he posted earlier this week.
Harrington caused a stir earlier this week when speaking about the controversial news of the PGA Tour's partnership with LIV and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabi, he remarked that Ireland "thought it was acceptable to lock up unmarried mothers as late as 1996".
"Looking at some of the replies, I’m trying to explain why this has happened. It’s hard to overcome the financial/business side of life when you are representing a group with many different backgrounds and morals. My own country sells military technology to Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE: Padraig Harrington compares Saudi involvement in 9/11 to IRA in sensational Liveline chat
"So many other compromises. Yes this is sports washing and yes unfortunately it proves sports washing works. But maybe one positive, inclusion and trade has shown to improve and change countries involved for the better. My own country thought it was acceptable to lock up unmarried mothers as late as 1996," Harrington tweeted.
Appearing on RTE Radio One's Liveline this afternoon, Harrington explained his controversial tweet.
"The country I come from had for a long period of time accepted... a young person could be raped in her own home by a family member and she would be imprisoned, effectively institutionalised and the rapist would get away with it.
"Who knew about that? Authority knew about that, the doctor would have to know about it, the policeman would have to know about it, the policeman would have to tell the judge.
"Society knew about it and they let it happen."
Harrington did however admit that if he had 'a magic wand' he would change things in the country.
"If I had a magic wand and I could go in and say hey, look we want you to adhere to the norms of human rights, that we all consider to be completely normal, I'd wave that wand, but forcing them to do it would make them backtrack, they have to do it on their own terms.
"We'd all love it to happen today but if somebody said in 25 years, like we look back on the Mother and Baby homes, if somebody said in 25 years, hey God look at Saudi Arabia, look what it was like and look at it now.
"I don't know if that is acceptable to people that it would take 25 years for women to get proper rights. We just can't wave a magic wand right now."
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