Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Bríd Smith.

It seems to be the time of year again when the Dáil has its annual set piece on domestic violence. It is usually late into an evening. Usually, it is in the run-up to Christmas and usually it follows International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. This is also the time of year when women in violent relationships live in fear and dread at the onset of Christmas and the season to come. This is because emotional manipulation, financial pressure and the added likelihood of physical violence all spike at Christmas because of many different factors.

I have been at several debates on this topic in the Chamber. I beg to differ with the claim from the Minister for Justice and Equality when he introduced this topic. I could not believe what he said. He said the Government had made a major priority of tackling domestic violence and he was confident that in the future, 2020 would be recognised as a landmark year. What planet are those in the Government on? In fact, the whole domestic violence sector gets one quarter of the funding that the racehorse and greyhound industries get each year. In fact, the sector gets less - it gets €20 million. The idea that this Government has made it a priority is risible.

I find it hard to think of a greater contrast to Government complacency than the outrage that exists on this internationally. I also differ with what was said in the Fianna Fáil contribution about apathy in society on this issue. Tens of thousands of people marched on 25 November in Paris, Rome and throughout Europe. Millions of people have been marching in Latin America with the Ni una menosmovement. Right now, there is a viral video - I imagine people have seen it - called "A rapist in your path". It began with women performing it on the street and it has gone viral. It was performed in Dublin on Saturday. There is major concern over this issue but we are not getting the interest of the establishment. We continue to see victim blaming in the courts. We continue to see no action in funding bar a small increase this year. That increase in no way matches the increased demand arising from more disclosures as a result of the #MeToo movement. As I said, €20 million is given to the domestic violence sector and €5 million is given to the sexual violence sector. These are pitiful amounts of money. That is why nine people per day are being turned away from refuges.

I wish to highlight briefly the Sonas refuge in Blanchardstown in my constituency. I paid a visit there some months ago and met the chief executive. I was horrified when she told me that from that refuge alone, which is in the Taoiseach's constituency, up to 500 women are turned away every year. While those operating the centre do their utmost to find safe houses for the women, several of those women stay in violent relationships.

Because of the housing crisis, many women must leave the refuge after their stint is done and become homeless. What kind of a system is this? The Minister tells us it is a priority for the Government. That is seriously difficult to listen to.

We also should have outreach workers who work for these services and who assist women in getting barring orders etc. They go into schools educating young people about what a toxic relationship is and trying to prevent gender violence happening in the first place.

We should have a rape crisis centre in Dublin West. Today, a number of women from Blanchardstown came to the Dáil. They have these hundreds of letters, that were signed by local people, to go to the Taoiseach. I have them wrapped in tinsel. They wrapped them for him. The aim is to get 500 local people to sign 500 letters to symbolise each of the families that is turned away from the refuge each year. Arising from that, people are showing window posters in their houses in Blanchardstown. They are also collecting up more letters. They are discussing this issue. They are bringing it into their workplaces. They are bringing it into the crèche and they are showing it to other women. That is the type of network that we need in order to force the establishment parties to take this seriously. The message from today from that group was: not one more turned away. I ask the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, to consider seriously why he is under-funding this area to such a degree and why he is refusing to do serious education and prevention work.

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