On the face of it, “enslaving” seems to be a gross misnomer. Requiring people to “work off” their crime for a set period of time isn’t exactly unheard of.
However it included abuse in Catholic-run orphanages and workhouses for children. The Irish government since has paid more than 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) to more than 13,000 people who suffered sexual, physical and psychological abuse in the children’s residences.
Many of the women were imprisoned for life, beaten if they resisted, sexually abused, etc. Importantly, this was a profit making enterprise, and offenses were often just moral, not criminal, for example unmarried pregnancy resulting in both the mother and their child being made slaves.