Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Iam glad to have an opportunity to speak on this issue. I commend my colleague, Deputy O'Callaghan, for bringing forward the Bill. As the previous speakers have said, we have read the story in the Irish Examinerabout three young women who were raped and did not feel they could go to the Garda. I do not know what is wrong. Perhaps they felt guilty because there may have been alcohol involved. That is a sad reflection because young women like that should not be afraid. They should be encouraged at all times to go to the Garda. We also read in the newspaper about Galway and the fact that 50 students there have reported having been raped or sexually assaulted in a period of six months. My God, I do not know what is happening. Is it a fact that this has always gone on but was never reported? I do not know. Then one considers the percentage increase in the number of offences that have been reported. In 2008 there were 1,268 while in 2017, there were 2,885. That is an amazing increase, and something needs to be done to address what is happening out here. We all have family members who go away to college in different towns and cities right across the country. It is hard to think they could find themselves in such vulnerable situations and that, for one reason or another, they could be afraid to report this. As I said, everything should be done to encourage every young person who has any such difficulty to go immediately to gardaí and make them aware.

At present we have six sexual assault treatment units in the country. There is one each in Dublin, Cork, Letterkenny, Galway, Mullingar and Waterford. I feel there should be a centre in Sligo as well. My colleague referred to the distance people have to travel to be tested. When an assault happens, it is very unfair that on top of all the distress these people suffer, they must take a long journey and travel, in the case of Sligo, to Letterkenny or perhaps Dublin. It depends whether it is a weekend or whatever. That is not good enough.

I commend my colleague, Deputy O'Callaghan, for bringing this Bill to the Dáil. It should be widely supported, and I hope young people out there will be aware that this will help them if anything happens to them in the future.

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