Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issue of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, DSGBV. I am grateful for the heartfelt and genuine contributions from Deputies across the House. I had just joined the House when the first wave of Covid-19 restrictions were announced this year, and there was a concern shared by every Deputy and the general public at large about the restrictions' possible impact on people who were at risk of DSGBV, including the potentially volatile situations that lockdown created and the separation of vulnerable people from their support networks and the wider social services on which they relied. It was a source of deep concern for us all. There were specific risks for victims of domestic violence during Covid-19, for example, social isolation and their particular vulnerability. These presented additional challenges in victims accessing supports.

It is important to acknowledge the considerable work being done by the many voluntary organisations that work in this sector. They have gone above and beyond in recent months to ensure that services and refuges are kept open. The vital lifeline these represent for those at risk of DSGBV has remained in place. The organisations have shown great care in supporting victims.

We have seen a change in society's approach to the issue of DSGBV in recent months. That is evident in the context of the Irish Women in Harmony campaign organised by Safe Ireland, but there has been a wider response within communities. In my community in Dublin 15, various GAA clubs and Scouting Ireland groups raised money for the constituency's Sonas shelter. Deputies would have seen similar instances in their own constituencies.

Since its formation, the Government has made it clear that tackling DSGBV is a key priority for all of us. Our programme for Government calls out the fact that there is an epidemic - that is the word we used - of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in this country. It is a multifaceted problem that requires all arms of the State to work together to address the issue and support those who are experiencing such violence. In the Government, the work is being led by the Minister, Deputy McEntee's Department and mine, but it involves all Departments and State agencies.

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of DSGBV and provides funding to more than 60 organisations across the country that support them. Tusla supports emergency refuges in providing services for adults and children fleeing domestic violence and supports organisations involved in the provision of rape crisis services and a range of community-base domestic violence supports.

At the time of budget 2021, I made it clear that I wanted to focus investment in these services, thereby supporting the most vulnerable in our community, particularly during Covid-19. An increased provision for Tusla and the organisations it supports is central to this. As part of budget 2021, my Department secured the largest increase in funding for Tusla since the agency's foundation.

Recently, I engaged with my officials and Tusla's senior management on Tusla's business plan for 2021, which will determine how it funds the various services it provides across the country. I emphasised to them the importance of resourcing DSGBV services to sustainable levels, particularly in the current circumstances. In 2021, a total of €30 million will be made available by my Department to Tusla to fund DSGBV services specifically. This includes a €2.7 million increase in core services, bringing core service provision to €28 million, with an additional €2 million of one-off contingency funding being made available to help services cope with the ongoing effects of Covid-19. This is a total increase of €4.7 million for 2021 over the initial 2020 figure. I am pleased that we have been able to announce a significant increase in DSGBV funding for next year. I hope it will enable services to expand their vital supports for victims and their families. The additional funding to Tusla in 2021 will also allow for increased levels of services to child victims or witnesses of DSGBV, which is a key aspect of our commitment under the Istanbul Convention.

While I understand that much of the media's focus in recent weeks has been on refuge capacity, which I will address in a moment, Tusla funds a wide range of services in this regard and it is important to note that more than 75% of referrals to its social workers involve domestic violence.

Deputies will be aware that Tusla is undertaking a review of emergency accommodation nationwide. This will assess the current and requisite distribution of safe emergency accommodation. It is important that we provide funding where services are needed the most. The review process involves consultation with key stakeholders. The review's findings and the recommendations of the monitoring committee of the second national strategy on DSGBV will inform Tusla's future decisions on priority areas for investment in and development of services. Tusla has advised me that the report will be published next April.

It is of the utmost importance that the needs of those who experience domestic violence are met in the most appropriate way possible. I strongly support the work of Tusla and its funded service providers and I am committed to supporting the agency in meeting the needs of individuals who experience domestic violence. I look forward to responding to Tusla's audit of refuge accommodation across the country and to it ensuring that new refuges are appropriately designed to avoid congregation.

While funding will be crucial to our success in tackling DSGBV, it is imperative that we have the right structures in place to allow the Government to respond as effectively as possible. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, referenced this matter. Under the programme for Government, we have committed to undertaking an audit of responsibility for DSGBV across Departments and State agencies.

The procurement process to secure the expertise to conduct this audit is under way. We expect that audit to be completed in the first quarter of 2021, and this Government will act on the basis of that audit.

I take this opportunity to condemn image-based abuse. Under no circumstances should any photographs of an intimate or sexual nature or any video be shared online without the consent of the individual involved. This sexual exploitation is happening online and is incredibly harmful to those whose images have been shared in groups or posted online. It is a violation of privacy and intimacy at the highest level. There must be a zero tolerance approach to image-based abuse.

Our programme for Government commits to the enactment of the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill, which will be a positive step in preventing the sharing of intimate images online and combating this criminal and sexually abusive behaviour. This is an issue where women are the primary targets and the outcome of this abuse can be catastrophic. It can often have severe repercussions on a woman's mental health, family life and reputation. Women face the constant threat of sexual abuse and violence and should not have to live in fear that this abuse could happen to them. Without laws in place to combat these crimes, women can continue to be victims.

Everyday sexism, sexual violence and the all-too-familiar framing of that sexual violence as the fault of the victim cannot continue. There must come an end to victim blaming and victim shaming. As part of my Department's remit on gender equality, including the national strategy for women and girls, we will work to tackle the culture of domestic and sexual gender-based violence and harassment in our country.

I thank Deputies for their contributions. As I said at the outset, I know that concern about the instances of DSGBV in our country is something that is genuinely shared by all Members of the House. The programme for Government has identified the scale of the issue, and the Government is already implementing measures to better equip our country to deal with it. We are outlining how we will better fund our services to support victims. I am committed to working with my colleagues in government, in particular the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, with service providers and all those working the sector to provide the best possible help for those who need support and developing strategies that prevent domestic, sexual and gender-based violence from occurring in the first place.

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