Mr. Colm Kelly Ryan:

I believe so. When we consider what the basis for doing this would be and how we could make it happen, it is in recognition that, under Article 14.2 of the Istanbul Convention, education can take place in informal education settings. I am sure Deputy Carroll MacNeill will ask us how we take these measures in a formal education setting, but it can also take place in informal settings.

I know that we are short on time but, as Deputy McAuliffe has mentioned, this conversation needs to take place in family homes as well. We need to ensure that it takes place in a safe manner. The challenge is getting the message into the family home and permeating that space. In the Constitution, we recognise that the family home is a private space for family life. At the core of how we will do this are awareness-raising campaigns, messaging and the use of media and social media. I will refer once more to Article 30(b) of general recommendation No. 35 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, which reads:

These programmes should target: (a) women and men at all levels of society; (b) education, health, social services and law enforcement personnel and other professionals and agencies, including at the local level [the community level, which is close to the family home, and this is an important point to remember], involved in prevention and protection responses; (c) traditional and religious leaders; and (d) perpetrators of any form of gender-based violence, so as to prevent recidivism.

I am sure this matter will be raised later, but what I am talking about is that the scope of the messaging and how we have this conversation need to be human rights based, holistic and tackle the structural inequalities in our society while also engaging with men and boys through a strengths-based approach, not through a deficit-based approach that says men are broken and may be the perpetrators. Instead, we need to tell men and boys that they can be allies - that is the key word - in ending gender-based violence and promoting gender equality.

I hope this has answered the Deputy's question.