Ms Noeline Blackwell:

As I agree with what Mr. Power has just said, I will not repeat it. I recognise that it is not just a general air of toxic masculinity or toxic anything else, but very often it is a malicious intention to do harm through digital communications which currently cannot really be prosecuted. The current harassment laws are insufficient, as are current stalking laws. We need a better definition of communication and to have it recognised that, where harmful behaviour happens, it is harmful by reference to impact. It will take into account particularly those who are targeted, not just the general fall-out of the harmful behaviour. Sometimes, people are targeted and that should be a particular element of the prosecution in the case, which is very important. It is the carrot and stick approach. The carrot is education, with which we all agree. As for the stick, to go back to Deputy O'Callaghan's analogy about driving a car, we stopped drink-driving partly by awareness raising but also because people's driving licences were being taken off them. We need personal prosecution, as well as awareness raising.