Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make a few points on this important issue. The Minister quoted some statistics. He said numbers have been going down week on week since May. I do not know who compiles these statistics but the lived experience of women is not reflected in them. From speaking to my local domestic violence advocacy service, which is one of 39 associated with Safe Ireland, I learned it had a steady number of calls during the lockdown period. In May, however, when there was a relaxation of the restrictions, there was an explosion in the number of calls. The number was up 420%. The clear message from that is that the many women who were unfortunate enough to suffer from coercive control and domestic abuse were not even in a position to make a call, such was the control exerted over them.

I support what Deputy Jim O'Callaghan said regarding the call from the experts on the front line associated with the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service, which is under-resourced. The new Government must do more than pay lip service to those concerned, who are on the front line fighting and fundraising to keep the lights on in their centres and trying to provide refuges. There are some in some locations but there are not enough. Funding needs to be provided continually in order that the service providers do not have to use their useful time fighting with the HSE to get crumbs from the table. Doing so is wasteful. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan has rightly pointed out that there is a need for a dedicated Minister responsible for domestic, social, sexual and gender-related violence. The Minister should have the cross-departmental reach and resources required to do the job, in addition to the responsibility for acting accordingly. I hope the Minister for Justice and Equality will exert all influence to see this through. Domestic violence represents a silent crisis in our country. All too often, lip service is paid to the idea of addressing it based on a savage attack of a kind we often see in the media but we are not hearing about the thousands of attacks that are taking place nationally.

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