Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to add to some of the closing comments that have been made by my colleagues. There has been a lot of talk, and rightfully so, about failing the women and how hard it is and how much courage it must take, as Senator Comyn said, for a young woman or any woman to come forward, raise a concern or make a complaint. We need to be mindful that it is not just women. There could potentially be men listening to this conversation today or looking at these reports in the media. Perhaps in his closing comments Mr. Courell can give reassurance to the men. It is predominantly a male game. I am all about the women and the women breaking down barriers but we have to be mindful that there could be men who need reassurance that assistance is there for them, protection is there for them, and support is there for them. I would really appreciate if we could get something on that just before we close. Safeguarding does tend to focus on children and on vulnerable adults, and rightly so, and it particularly focuses on the women. Sometimes we just cast the men aside and say they are big and strong and they can look after themselves, but sometimes they just need that little bit of support as well. I would just like to add that today.