Dáil debates

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Violence Against Women: Statements

 

6:15 pm

Photo of Cathal BerryCathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Good evening, Minister. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I wish it was taking place under different circumstances. I convey my heartfelt sympathies to the Murphy family, the school community in Durrow and the members of the wider Offaly community, all of whom have been traumatised by the horrendous events of recent days.

The 33rd Dáil will always be remembered for being the pandemic Parliament. Over time, however, we will be judged by how we address a different epidemic in this country, namely, that of violence against women. That epidemic has persisted and there appears to be no vaccine.

I was struck by the images of Ashling's seven-year-old schoolchildren at the funeral yesterday. A good way to memorialise and respect the memory of Ashling would be to ensure those children grow up in a different Ireland than the one we had last week and that they never have to experience intimidation, threats, assaults or fear for being a woman or a girl. Ashling has done her bit in that regard. It now falls to us to do our bit as well.

We should be addressing this issue from two directions: first, from a structural point of view; and, second, from a behavioural point of view. From a structural point of view, I take the Minister's point that it is not exclusively a criminal justice issue, but it is a major factor and we need to reform our criminal justice system. Our bail laws, one could argue, are a joke. There are people who have been charged with serious crimes and are out on the street having paid €200 bail, which is unacceptable. A 20-year minimum sentence for murder does not cut it any more and does not have the deterrent value it used to have. They get out after 14 years with six years suspended. We need life for life. It should be a 40-year minimum sentence for murder. That is the appropriate deterrent that is required.

We need to fund our refuge system. It is incredible that we still have counties that do not have women's refuges. We also need more active and visible policing on our streets and in our communities. We are blessed in this country that we have seasoned investigators who can retrospectively investigate crimes and prosecute the perpetrators, but would it not be so much better if we had more police who could proactively prevent and deter crimes from happening in the first place?

The behavioural piece is much more nuanced and difficult to sort. How will we address it? First, we have to accept and recognise that we have a problem and that we have a sizable minority of men in this country with unhealthy attitudes towards women. I agree with some other contributors that we have to get in early and educate in the context of how appropriate behaviour is taught in primary and secondary schools. As men, we have to call out and confront any inappropriate behaviours we see. The standards we walk by are the standards we accept.

We have a lot of work to do to solve this problem. The structural issues are the responsibility of the Minister and the Government but the behavioural issues are the responsibility of us all. Changing culture is a massive undertaking and sometimes it is hard to know where to start. It is appropriate that I finish with the words of a gentleman who is probably rarely quoted in this Chamber. It is none other than Michael Jackson. His words are fitting:

I'm starting with the man in the mirror

I'm asking him to change his ways.

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