Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

There are few occasions in this Chamber when we can unify and agree on an approach, and I think this is one such occasion. In our capital city at present, there are people who do not feel safe. The UN safer cities initiative for women and young girls requires resources and involves talking to young men about men's violence against women and tackling a culture of toxic masculinity. We can start by going into schools and meeting people at the youngest age possible and speaking to them about what it means to be a young man, and providing role models and counselling services. We must also acknowledge that when people are attacked, as is happening to Deliveroo drivers, people of different ethnicity, and those of different sexual persuasions, we need to come down hard, because that is not the image of the city I love that I want projected to the world. At present, we have lost our grasp of the issue and need to recapture it strongly. In a scenario where people feel unsafe, we need to come down hard and create the conditions where women, people of different ethnicity, and people working in delivery services must feel safe as they go about their duties. We can unify in that approach across this Chamber, and the Minister of State will have my full support in doing so. This beautiful city is ours and it needs a stronger hand now.

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