Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for this session in response to the alarming increase in domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Safe Ireland has rightly called it the shadow pandemic. During the first six months of Covid, there was a massive increase in people fleeing domestic violence and 3,450 women and 589 children contacted domestic violence services for the first time. The impact is being felt across the country. West Cork Women Against Domestic Violence saw a 35% increase in calls. We knew this was coming. Advocates and support organisations warned us and sought emergency measures and additional funding months ago.

I acknowledge the initiatives taken by the Government, including some additional funding to organisations in the sector and the access to rent supplement for victims of domestic violence. However, more must be done. The Government needs to ensure additional capacity for the duration of the pandemic. It is important to note issues around refuge spaces would not be as much of a problem if Ireland lived up to our commitments under the Istanbul Convention, which requires us to provide one refuge space for every 10,000 people in Ireland. Unlike every other European country, we only provide one refuge space per 10,000 women and, needless to say, this means we provide 50% fewer refuge spaces than what is required. Is it any wonder we are in a situation now where we do not have enough spaces? This has to change.

Clear infrastructure is necessary. Responsibility for this area is spread across several Departments, which leads to confusion and abdication of responsibility. The support organisations - the experts in this area - are looking for one Minister who leads the Government response. Intersectional issues are relevant in this regard. Regrettably, older women, women and girls with disabilities and those from migrant and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable. Speaking at last week's meeting of the Joint Committee on Disability Matters, Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh highlighted the importance of intersectionality, and Ireland’s appalling record on and relationship with disabled people. Migrant or undocumented women and girls are also at increased risk due to Government policy. For example, issues around translation in State services are a barrier and people are reluctant to approach gardaí for fear of subsequent deportation. We need firewalls between State services and immigration services. Women, girls and other vulnerable populations need to be assured they can safely seek medical help, access social welfare and approach the police without fear of subsequent punitive action by the State. We need an acceleration of the programme for Government commitment to regularising the status of undocumented people. Policy choices by this and previous Governments are making more women vulnerable. The Minister can change that.

This week there have been serious issues with image-based crimes and so-called revenge porn. There are online folders with thousands of images that have been taken and shared without consent. This primarily affects young women, and some of them are underage. I would like to send a clear message to anyone whose images have been shared without their consent: it is not your fault, you did not do anything wrong, and you are not to blame. However, unfortunately, despite warnings about situations like this one, image-based sexual abuse is still not a crime here. These violations of women have been facilitated by the State's inadequate policy and inaction. There is legislation on this before the Committee on Justice that needs to be accelerated now. I welcome what the Minister said about doing it in the next year, but it is not soon enough. It has to happen now.

This House must be clear that consent has to be at the heart of this. Where consent is not present the law must step in. Currently, there are incredible activists and support groups working on the issue to help victims. The Minister needs to assure them today that this Government has their backs. This House can move quickly, not before the end of the year but now. We saw this yesterday with Dublin Zoo and we have seen it in the past with the banks. I ask the Minister to move immediately to protect victims of what we all know is a crime but today is still not considered one.

I am glad I am speaking to the Minister about this. I admire the work she has been doing in relation to rape trials. I ask her to please take action on this now. We will all support the Minister.

As a nation we also need to have an incredibly serious and difficult conversation on this and related issues. Thousands of Irish men are sharing images of women and girls without their consent. There are horrific levels of sexual violence in our colleges. We all know victims of domestic abuse, rape or sexual assault, and this should not be the norm. It is international men's day today. I ask all men, if they see or receive an image being circulated without consent, to call it out. They can and should speak up in WhatsApp groups, in conversation and in any given situation. They should call it out. When they do not, they are complicit, and they are supporting a culture that facilitates gender-based abuse. We need zero tolerance. To achieve that, we need men to act.

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