Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The whole country was stunned and shaken by the death of Ashling Murphy. I attended the vigil for Ashling at the gates of Leinster House with many members of the Oireachtas last Friday. I listened to the call by speakers for the attack on a young woman, just going for a jog on a bright winter afternoon in a rural town, to be a watershed moment in terms of all forms of violence against women. I know the death of Ashling also revisited trauma on many women across this country, as well as on the families of women who died in tragic circumstances in the past.

I welcome the comments by the Minister for Justice and the Government and the commitment to publish the national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence this March but the reality is that the issues raised over the last week will not be sorted out by any single strategy. If Ashling’s death is to be truly a watershed moment, then the measures that are taken must be far-reaching and touch every sinew of our society.

So much of this comes down to attitude. The change has to start with us, as men. Men need to be role models and call out unacceptable attitudes and behaviour towards women, be it our neighbours, our friends or, indeed, our family, and whether it be misogynistic behaviour, online abuse or disrespectful and degrading comments, wherever it happens. We should make a start right here in politics. Recent research by Dr. Ian Richardson found that while there was no gender divide in the amount of online abuse aimed at Deputies, there was a significantly higher level of abuse messages focused on female councillors and Senators than on their male counterparts, and much of this abuse was generated by party supporters.

We all know a mother, a daughter or a sister who has tolerated a certain level of fear when it comes to living in our society. Some walk with their car keys in their hands, ready to be used as a defensive weapon. Others change into their runners when they are going for a walk so they can run away. It is time for this to stop. We also need to review our environment and public spaces. More than half of the women reported in a Transport Infrastructure Ireland study that they would not use public transport after dark due to safety concerns, with one third saying they had feelings of insecurity that prevented them from travelling at all on public transport. One of the reasons given for female second level students not cycling to school is that the bike shed is in a secluded part of the school campus. It even comes down to the design or redesign of our public spaces, building women's safety into our streets, our parks and our countryside.

This is not just about developing a whole-of-government strategy. What is needed is a whole-of-society approach to this challenge if Ashling's death is truly to be a watershed moment. We will not be able to achieve real and meaningful progress without a radically new approach to tackling a problem that has become embedded in our society. I believe that, as a first step, the Minister should host an open policy debate with a policy remit across the broadest spectrum of society on the safety of women, including contributions from those working across this wide-ranging sector, such as non-profit organisations and the Government, as well as international expertise. Most importantly, we must hear the voices of those who plan their route in advance, who walk with the keys in their hand, who make that phone call so someone knows where they are while they are out for a walk or run, that is, every single woman and girl in this country must be given the opportunity to contribute. Such a citizen's forum will not only raise awareness among all participants of the work and activities being undertaken at present but, more importantly, it will identify the gaps and opportunities for reimagining solutions to age-old problems. It is only by taking a comprehensive approach right across society that we can take the first steps towards preventing another tragedy and the ongoing serious assault of women in Ireland.

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