Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I express my deepest condolences to the family, partner and friends of Ashling Murphy, and those in the wider community who have been devastated by her brutal murder. Listening to the public debate over the past number of days, one comment has stuck in my mind. It has been said that the issue here is not, in the first instance, the safety of women but the violence of men. Every single day, women face abuse, harassment, sexual and physical violence and, in far too many instances, death, because they are women. All women at some point in their lives are forced to live this reality and it is men who perpetrate this violence. Toxic masculinity and institutional sexism are the root cause of the problem. That is not just among individual men but throughout the very culture and institutions of our society, including at home, in work, on the sports field, in schools, in the courts and even sometimes in this Chamber. We live in a society that simply refuses to treat women fully as equals.

I agree with colleagues from both sides of the House that every single man has a role to play in tackling this issue. It is not acceptable to stay silent and look the other way. We must all play a part in bringing this unacceptable reality to an end. Listening to the testimony of women has driven home for me that it is time for men to stand up and act - all men. We must call out everyday sexism, educate our sons, our friends and our colleagues, challenge institutional gender discrimination and, crucially, fund support services for those experiencing gender-based violence. Most important of all, we need to ensure our streets, homes, workplaces and places of leisure and entertainment are safe for all women. It is time for us men to listen to women, to act and to put an end to toxic masculinity. Those of us with the incredible privilege of being in this Chamber must do everything we can through legislation, policy and budgets to provide all the necessary supports to bring this appalling reality to an end.

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