Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)

I welcome the motion and congratulate the Sinn Féin Deputies on tabling it. The issue not only requires careful, thoughtful suggestions such as those made in the motion but much broader debate, including in this House. The opportunity to debate this is extremely important, since it is one of the most important societal issues but is seldom aired sufficiently. Those who can make an impact and achieve change must hear the full consequences of what is happening.

Domestic violence is a simple phrase, but it has a truly horrific meaning and impact for thousands of Irishwomen, as well as men and children. I was interested in Deputy O'Donovan's comments on the good old days. They were not all that good, and at least now the domestic oppression of people is much more visible. Previously, women in particular thought it their lot to be beaten, abused, and relegated to second-class status. Often, their abuse was not only from husbands, since children were taught to have less than full respect for their mothers.

In recent years we have made important strides, but we have a long way to go. Domestic violence affects women especially, but that is not exclusively the case, and there are various types of violence. Emotional and psychological violence can on occasion be even more damaging and oppressive than a physical blow. The facts laid out in the motion are genuinely shocking and demand a careful and comprehensive response, particularly when one thinks of women dying violently. Some 126 women have been violently killed since 1996. Some 81 were killed in their own homes, and just under 50% of victims whose cases were concluded were killed by their partner or ex-partner.

That is frightening, but the facts laid out in the motion are not the end of the story. I will add some more disturbing statistics. One in six survivors of sexual violence will become an inpatient in a psychiatric hospital at some point. In contrast, the figure is one in 46 among those not to have been sexually abused. Compared with 20 other European countries, Ireland has the highest number of cases of sexual violence such as rape falling out of the system before adjudication by the courts. In 2005, some 25,843 calls were made to the Women's Aid national helpline. However, the organisation was unable to respond to 10,000 of them owing to a lack of staff and resources.

In 2004, some 1,144 women and 1,333 children fleeing domestic violence were refused emergency refuge accommodation in the Eastern Health Board region alone owing to a dearth of facilities. These statistics are from the Women's Aid Safety and Sanctions report. Research has found that only between 1% and 6% of domestic violence offenders in Ireland receive a prison sentence. That means that between 94% and 99% of such violent offenders never see the inside of a prison cell. General racism and discrimination against Travellers constitute a significant barrier to Traveller women accessing support services. We must be cognisant of that fact and do something about it. What can we do about such issues? The motion outlines some courses of action.

I am indebted to the Labour Women's National Council for its work. It has a close relationship with the voluntary sector in dealing with domestic violence in general and violence against women in particular. The council came up with a ten point plan and I will outline some of its elements to the House. It called for the immediate funding of front-line services to ensure that all women in Ireland, and all men, who are victims of sexual violence can access appropriate services. These include national telephone helplines, supported advocacy services, counselling on rape and sexual assault and, very importantly, court accompaniment. Being a victim is often the loneliest position in Irish courts. The accused has legal representation and the State is obviously well represented in presenting its case, but the victim often does not have the required support.

The council also called for the provision of refuges as an essential specialist intervention for individuals — men, women or children — fleeing the perpetrators of domestic violence. It has called for the ending, as a matter of urgency, of reliance on bed and breakfast provision as a response to domestic violence. Women and children should not be required to stay in bed and breakfast establishments, following which they are expected to walk the streets during the daytime. That is not an adequate response.

The council called for the scope of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency to be expanded from the current pilot programme to a sustained nationwide programme ensuring integration and co-ordination of agency interventions in domestic violence with civil and criminal justice systems, and the application of best international practice. It is shameful that we came close to having that agency's pilot programme closed down. Thankfully, however, some measure of relief has now been given to allow the agency to continue its important work.

The council called for the expansion of dedicated statutory services, including specialist violence-against-women social work interventions, sexual assault treatment units or SATUs, and the application of SATU best practice guidelines.

We need to address the power and resource inequality that currently exists in the criminal justice system between plaintiffs and defendants in cases of rape and sexual assault, through comprehensive reform of the legal system. We need to have appropriate training in dealing with cases of violence and sexual assault against women for members of the Judiciary. The same training should be provided to court staff as is currently beginning to be provided to garda cadets. We need to address the issue of vulnerable sectors of the community, including Travellers, immigrants, ethnic minorities and the disabled who are often victims of sexual violence. They should always be provided with the necessary support so that, in the first instance, they can reach out for help. This is particularly the case for people who suffer from any intellectual disability. Such supports are haphazard at present and need to be strengthened and provided as a matter of form. We need a dedicated integration and support funding mechanism to resource the application of a national strategy. I understand that a national women's strategy is to be published shortly but all its elements should be properly and adequately resourced.

The ten-minute slot allocated to me is extremely limited and inadequate to begin to do justice to an issue of national importance. We should all be cognisant of the sometimes silent suffering of many thousands of our citizens trapped in abusive relationships, in households were they feel economically vulnerable and cannot reach out. Bolt-holes for such people must be resourced so that in every community refuges are provided to which people — predominantly women, but sometimes men — can flee with children.

This is a wake-up for the Oireachtas to deal with the issue as a matter of urgency and priority. From the Labour Party's perspective, I make a public commitment that these issues will be high on our agenda, not only in the run up to the next election but also, hopefully, when Labour forms part of the next Government.

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