Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

Is it correct that the White Paper on defence includes no reference to human rights training? Does the Minister agree that human rights training and regular human rights upskilling are essential for a modern army, especially given the cases to which he referred in reply to Deputy Finian McGrath's Parliamentary Question No. 75, on some of which I questioned his predecessor?

Is the Minister aware of incidents involving Irish peacekeepers in sexual violence against women in conflict zones in which they have served? Does the international humanitarian law and human rights training course include a module on gender sensitivity designed to educate members of the Defence Forces against engaging in domestic or sexual violence, sexual harassment or other sexual abuses? Does the Minister agree that international humanitarian law training should form part of human rights training?

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