Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Today’s meeting will be in two sessions. For the first, we have an engagement in public with representatives of AkiDwA, the Men’s Development Network and Safe Ireland to discuss the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Gender Equality regarding domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. When that session has concluded, we will go into private session to deal with committee business.

I warmly welcome our stakeholders who are here with us this morning. I thank them all for coming in and I thank those who are joining on Teams also. First, I welcome from AkiDwA Ms Uruemu Adejinmi, chair; Dr. Salome Mbugua, CEO, who I have known very well for many years; and Dr. Caroline Munyi, migrant women’s health co-ordinator. From the Men’s Development Network I welcome Mr. Seán Cooke, CEO; Mr. Colm Kelly Ryan, head of programmes and advocacy; and Mr. Kenny Doyle, project development officer. From Safe Ireland I welcome Ms Mary McDermott, CEO, and Ms Lisa Marmion, national services manager, who is joining us via Teams. I welcome all of our witnesses and thank them for their time and engagement with us.

Before we begin, I will read an important notice on parliamentary privilege. Witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to the committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of their evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and they are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Participants in the committee meeting who are in locations outside the parliamentary precincts are asked to note that the constitutional protections afforded to those participating from within the parliamentary precincts do not extend to them. No clear guidance can be given on whether or the extent to which participation is covered by the absolute privilege with statutory nature.

Having given those formalities, I will now call on each group to make its opening statement. I ask them to keep their opening remarks inside of ten minutes and as concise as possible, if they can, to allow more time for questions and answers. After a representative from each group has given their statements, we will then open the floor to members for questions and answers. Again, we are very grateful to the witnesses for giving their time.

I call Dr. Mbugua to make the opening statement on behalf of AkiDwA.