Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday saw the end of a court process and the sentencing of two teenage boys for the horrific murder of a young girl in the prime of her life. It was probably the most extreme example of sexual assault and misogyny the country has seen. We send solidarity to her family.

Last month, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre stated there was a public health epidemic of sexual violence. This time last year, thousands of people shared pictures online of their underwear with the hashtag, #thisisnotconsent, in response to victim blaming in rape trials. Ireland trended worldwide at the time and we had to bring the issue graphically into the Dáil chamber. One year on, I ask the Taoiseach what his Government has actually done about gender-based violence. Barristers are still trotting out the same old rape myths. In a recent trial, where it was not even contested that the complainant had been savagely beaten, the barrister suggested that the woman had still consented to the sex. The barrister said: "she is a worldly young girl [she is aged 20, by the way] with experience of life ... she knew what she was doing."

Women are wondering why we bothered putting a definition of "consent" into the law because it is not worth the paper it is written on. In another court this week, a complainant who was allegedly raped by two men was told by a barrister that she consented as she was not drunk enough and had the presence of mind to fix her skirt. Being beaten, raped multiple times and having video evidence does not seem to be enough to be believed. Is it any wonder there are reports of famous sports celebrities strutting around with impunity despite sexual assault allegations being made against them? Are women to go into hiding every time such a figure decides to go on a night out?

Following protests after the rape trial in Belfast, the Taoiseach commissioned the O'Malley report. It was to report by the end of last year but here we are approaching the end of 2019. The Taoiseach is already aware of the figures so I will not repeat all of them. I will say, however, that ten women are murdered annually, one in three women experience coercive control and one in four women has experienced physical or sexual violence. One must judge how important a Government considers an issue by how much funding it gives. The Taoiseach's Government gave €25 million to the entire support sector but saw fit to give €17 million to the cruel and ailing greyhound industry.

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