Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Men carrying out violence against women is the reality the world over. In Ireland, it is an issue we need to tackle head on. Women in Ireland experience sexism and harassment in their everyday lives, whether in the gym, on the bus or online. Women face harassment by just being present in public spaces. The vast majority of sexually violent offenders are men and, unfortunately, a lot of the abuse and harassment is not reported. For me, that says something about the lack of confidence women have in the justice system. We fear that we will not be believed or if we are, that the perpetrator will get off with just a slap on his wrist.

The State needs to do more to support women who are victims of gender-based violence. Government needs to fund these services properly. Charities have stepped in where the State failed. That is not good enough. The women of Ireland deserve much better. Safe Ireland stated that in the last four months of 2020, there were more than 800 requests for refuge that it could not meet. For me, that shows a complete disregard for women who are victims of domestic violence and have nowhere else to turn.

The Government needs to give a firm commitment that the upcoming strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence will be implemented in full as well as committing to gathering better data in respect of this area. We need to strive to do much better across all Departments in making our public places safe for the women of Ireland. There is no quick fix but we need to work together and start taking the necessary steps to improve Irish society in the here and now.

See this speech in context