Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her reply. Will she indicate what are the circumstances in which interpreters should be brought in? It seems to be a basic service for somebody from another country with very poor English. An interpreter should be a basic provision for somebody like this who is reporting a crime. We must thank the landlord and the friends of this person, who were in a different town, as without them we would never have known about this. It is frightening. Thanks be to God there were good people out there who would not let this rest and sought accountability. Apparently, 80% of survivors of sexual abuse do not report their cases to the Garda, and this kind of experience would frighten people away from such reporting. We need more people to report these issues so we can achieve satisfactory outcomes and reduce the number of sexual assaults.

There was almost an instinctive sense that this was a domestic violence issue, when it never was. Apparently, that was one of the initial flaws in the response of authorities to this case. I note the Minister's comments about GSOC being asked to examine a specific issue, and perhaps it could consider the entire case. A victim goes through trauma with a sexual assault and it is adequate reason for timelines not to be a factor when something is reported to GSOC. We have already waived the statute of limitations with regard to abuse in industrial schools and other institutions. On the basis that trauma induced by sexual assault is of such an enormous nature, allowances must be made for the capability of a person to report issues adequately and properly at the time they occur.

I would appreciate it if the Minister could keep an eye on this and ensure that the issue is comprehensively and properly followed through so that the victim can get justice and others may never have to go through what she did. One only needs to look at the photographs her friends took, which show the horrific consequences of this. Although I hate to repeat it, the landlord said he never saw a boxer come out of a ring with such damage to face and body. It was a vicious assault. We must improve our work in this area. We must ensure this never happens again.

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