Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is very profound and complex legislation. Sexual crimes are a very important subject. Sexual violence of any kind is utterly hideous. Gender-based violence and toxic misogyny are reprehensible in any form but they exist and manifest and, unfortunately, they are on the rise in society. The profound effect on the victim is incalculable. For people who have been sexually abused or had sexual violence committed against them, that effect stays with them for the rest of their lives.

It will also have a profound effect later on, when they have children, and so on.

I want to look at a different aspect in regard to the societal issues around sexual violence and the sexualised nature of our society. It would not be radical to say there are elements of popular culture that are insidious in the way the sexualisation of women is portrayed. It is horrible how some parts of popular culture can be that insidious. An element of that is at the root of sexual crimes and gender-based violence.

Even with regard to domestic violence, we have seen in the past 19 months, because of the pandemic, the profound effect of the environment where a woman is subjected to a horrible level of bullying, intimidation and harassment, and, obviously, that has a terrible effect on the children of that person. It is a horrible situation.

I have serious concerns about the provisions in the Bill that deals with electronic tagging. There is probably no evidence that it deters the individual from doing other things.

As to investment in domestic violence supports, where women present themselves, there is definitely an argument that there needs to be more provision in that regard. It has to be invested in where women present in that situation.

Rehabilitation is very important. Some of the people who have been incarcerated have committed the most dreadful crimes. However, how did that arise? Was it nurture or nature? Was it societal? Was that person born to do that? I do not think so. There is definitely an opening for rehabilitation and an opening to prevent a person ever getting to that stage. That is very important.

There is also training around consent. We have seen this with the #MeToo movement, which is a very important movement where women have come out saying they have been subjected to quite subtle but forceful violence and sexual approaches in the workplace. We have seen through the Women of Honour movement in the Defence Forces the women who came out and said they were subjected to horrible and toxic behaviour. As I said, this has a terrible effect on those who are subjected to it.

I understand this is the most serious of issues but I have serious concerns around certain parts of the Bill.

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