Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Brien for introducing this important Bill in Private Members' time. The content of this is based on the proposed Education (Welfare)(Amendment) Bill 2012, and it is a product of long and thorough consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The purpose of the Bill is to amend the Education (Welfare) Bill 2000 in order to impose mandatory requirements on boards of management in schools to adopt counter-bullying and preventative measures. Having served on boards of management, I know how important this will be.

The Bill introduces a new section in which the onus of responsibility is placed on a board of management and the elected officers of the board to adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy in every recognised school. I use this time to highlight the need to tackle homophobic bullying, and in doing so I pay tribute to BeLongTo, members of which are in the Visitors Gallery tonight. That group focuses particularly on meeting the needs of young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, young people.

Why should we focus on homophobic bullying? It is one of the most widespread forms of bullying in Irish schools according to the report Equality and Power in Schools: Redistribution, Recognition and Representation, by Kathleen Lynch and Ann Lodge. According to the United Nations World Report on Violence Against Children, most bullying is sexual or gender-based, targeting girls or boys or those who do not fit into the perceived sexual and gender norms. Consequently, homophobic bullying affects all young people and particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people.

Dr. Stephen Minton, a psychologist at the anti-bullying research and resource centre at Trinity College Dublin, cites Canadian experts indicating that the majority of bullying research fails to address sexual orientation, and although homophobia is a prominent feature of school yard bullying, it is also one of the most unchallenged forms of bullying. Dr. Minton argues that, in short, as a frequently observed form of prejudice-related bullying, it makes sense at every level to prioritise the addressing of homophobic bullying.

The Trinity College anti-bullying centre indicates that 16% of all Irish second level students were targets of bullying but in the case of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students, much higher rates are experienced. In a major study funded by the HSE entitled Supporting LGBT Lives, it is indicated that 50% of LGBT young people experienced homophobic bullying, with 40% subject to verbal threats from fellow students and 25% physically threatened by peers. Of most concern is the fact that 34% of young LGBT heard homophobic comments from teachers.

We must send out a loud and clear message this evening that homophobic bullying is wrong, will not be tolerated and must be stopped. Urgent measures are needed to address homophobic bullying for four reasons. Homophobic bullying has been documented as one of the most pervasive forms of bullying in Irish schools. LGBT young people experience bullying at a much higher rate than other young people and Irish research shows that homophobic bullying is a significant casual factor in self-harm, suicide and other mental health difficulties among LGBT young people. Significant numbers of Irish teachers have reported that they find homophobia far more difficult to address than other forms of bullying.

The Sinn Féin Bill should receive cross-party support as it is in line with Government policy and thinking. In the 2011 programme for Government, there was a commitment to encourage schools to develop anti-bullying policies and particularly strategies to combat homophobic bullying and support students. This was reiterated by the Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, when he announced in May 2011 the establishment of a working group comprising all relevant sections of his Department, along with non-governmental organisations involved in this area and the education partners that would help draft a road map to eliminating homophobic bullying in our schools.

We all want to do the right thing and people are concerned by the issue. The Government and my party are involved but we are two years into a government term. As my colleague stated earlier, if the Government is not bringing forward legislation, we urge it to accept this Bill. I know of cases in my constituency where young people are refusing to return to school. One girl in the Mountrath area is refusing to return to secondary school because of serious bullying. Her life and that of her family has been turned upside down and it is having a serious effect on the girl at a critical stage in her life. She is 14 and it is an important yet vulnerable time in her development. We urge the Government and its Deputies to support this Sinn Féin Bill.

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