Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their time and the information.

The report is interesting. It is a page-turner. When it comes to reports such as this, most of them could be a cure for insomnia, but not this one. That is important to say. I will give examples of some of the issues addressed in it. When we speak of leaders and advocates of those who have left the conflict zones, we need to be mindful that the trauma of that conflict and that lived experience is not something which disappears overnight. It stays with the people and their families and, in many occasions, echoes out into the wider new communities of which they are a part. That can be both a good thing and a bad thing. I say a good thing in the sense it raises awareness within our grassroots communities of what is happening in this conflict zone. It is no longer a report people can turn off on the 9 p.m. news. It is now their neighbour and their neighbour's lived experience. The education which comes from that is vital and key, if we are committed and determined to raise awareness of these issues.

I am glad to hear that case of human trafficking being mentioned, which is in my constituency. I have a couple of questions around this area specifically. When we are talking about those people who come from conflict zones, what interaction do the witnesses have with local support services on the ground that may be best placed to help these individuals with managing that conflict and trauma as they continue to build their new lives here? When we speak of human trafficking, what awareness campaigns are being created in these new communities and for these people to say this is not right or normal but is wrong and that help is available? Language aside, we all have a basic need to feel safe and secure. How do we communicate that to these people, who may be in an extremely vulnerable position?

Covid-19 was mentioned before. I have said before and will say until I am blue in the face - I think everybody has heard me - that Covid-19 cannot be used as an excuse to roll back on any progress that has been made in terms of rebalancing the gender issue. It is something my generation has experienced, as well as my mother's and grandmothers', going back in time. The progress we made was hard fought for and hard got. The pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to roll back on any of that. If anything, it should be a catalyst for the change needed globally and nationally in order to finally say we have got true gender equality.

I am glad to hear the oversight group works across all Departments. That is important because this is not something that sits neatly under any one Department and nor should we try to make it fit. There was reference to the informal expert group and the Security Council. What would be the witnesses' asks with regard to the roles Ireland has? How would the witnesses like to see those implemented both abroad and with those who have come to find Ireland as their new home?