Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I also commend my colleague, Deputy O'Callaghan, on bringing forward the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) (Amendment) Bill 2018. This legislation will give greater support and protection to victims of sexual violence through the criminal justice process, and the most important word in that line is "victims". It is timely that we are here tonight to discuss this. It is disappointing to look around the Chamber and see so few Deputies to discuss the victims of sexual violence.

We were all shocked to see the crime statistics published at the beginning of October by the Central Statistics Office. They reveal the trends of increased incidents of rape and other sexual offences. There were shocking reports in the national media at the beginning of the academic year on the number of students presenting to rape crisis centres reporting having been raped or sexually assaulted. The Irish Examinerran a front-page story stating that three students, having started in university in Cork earlier in the year, reported to the rape crisis centre that they had been raped. Unfortunately, the women felt they could not present to the Garda. They felt it was their own fault as alcohol was involved. We must remember that many of these students are in first year and away from home for the very first time. We must consider the absolute horror of being sexually assaulted, the fear, the absolute shame they experience and the feeling that they cannot go the Garda because people will judge them and will ask if they were drinking and what they were wearing. Can they confide in anyone? Who can they turn to? We are all very fast to pass judgment, but when a young girl is really desperate and she should be turning to the Garda and she feels she cannot, it is very timely that we see a Bill of this nature to try to help people who are in a distressed state.

There are many worrying features of these stories. I am glad something is being done to address the issues. The Bill seeks to afford greater support and protection to victims of alleged offences involving sexual violence, gender-based violence or violence in a close relationship. Tonight's debate is a necessary one. There is no doubt that the level of under-reporting is partly due to the perception that the trauma of the attack can be compounded by a gruelling criminal justice process that does not provide sufficient supports to complainants. Our goal is to empower survivors so that they can be informed participants in the criminal justice process who are fairly treated throughout that process. This legislation hopes to do something to achieve this goal. Every victim should feel encouraged and adequately supported by the State to pursue justice. This essential legislation will ensure victims of sexual offences and gender-based violence are given all relevant support and State-funded legal advice at the earliest stage of the criminal investigation.

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