Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I extend my sympathy to the family of Ashling Murphy and everyone who loved her, and many did, as well as to the other women who have suffered from domestic or gender-based violence, who have died from it or who have lived intolerable lives because of the impact of violence against them. Like everyone else in the country, I have had time over the past couple of weeks to reflect on the type of society in which we live in Ireland. I have used the time to imagine what kind of country we would live in if women were not afraid of so many things, such as going for walks or runs by ourselves or being out at night by ourselves. If we had an Ireland where women could live with the same freedoms and rights as men in this country, it would be a very different country. We would have vibrant cities, public transport that women could avail of and use, more women in public roles and, probably, more women in politics who were free from the fear of online abuse.

Unfortunately, no woman in this country has ever lived in that type of country. We have never lived in a time in which we have not been afraid and never lived in a time in which we have not tried to make ourselves smaller or invisible as we move within our lives and from work to home. We spend an awful lot of our time and energy monitoring and restricting ourselves in how we behave and what we do. In fact, it has become such a normalised part of our lives that we do not even know that we do it anymore. That is a sad state of affairs and speaks volumes about the type of country in which we live. We have a unique opportunity now to use not only what happened, the lessons we have learned and the reflections we have had over the past couple of weeks but also all the experiences of all the women who have suffered.

There is a responsibility on us to build a much safer country for women, including our daughters and sisters, as well as all those who will come after us. If we create a safer society for women, there will be a safer society for every person in this country.

To do this we will need a transformative cultural change and that will be difficult; it will certainly not easy. It will mean changing how we look at schools because there must be a holistic approach. We must change the culture and curriculum in schools, bringing programmes into sporting institutions, youth services and third-level institutions. It means ensuring casual sexism is tackled in all aspects of society and it means we must have stronger legislation to tackle street harassment, as well as stronger enforcement of measures against harassment in the workplace. This is possible but it will take time. It could take generations for us to enjoy the full effects of such measures.

We can act in the meantime. There has been much talk about what we need to do and there are needs that must be met now. I welcome the work being done by the Minister on the national strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It is really important and I welcome that she is doing that, along with all the other initiatives she has progressed in her term in office. There are elements that could be put in place immediately. I have been reviewing all the issues and I was shocked to learn it can take more than a year for some women to get the counselling services they need if they have experienced sexual violence. I raised this with the Taoiseach last week and he said he would speak to the relevant Ministers. There is a need for an emergency fund for those services so they can provide that very immediate wrap-around support that those women need.

I was struck by an article I read in which somebody from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said it is so difficult when a woman is brave enough to bare her soul and tell what happened to her when it could be a year before they can get her the help she needs. If the Minister considers that, it would be a very positive step forward. We also heard a great deal about all the different refuges and the lack of supports and funding. Before Christmas I did a fundraiser for the Bray women's refuge in Wicklow. The community was fantastic and raised a lot of money but these services and supports should not rely on the charity of local residents. Will the Minister look at providing immediate funding while she is progressing the strategy? If immediate emergency funding was provided to those services, it would go a long way in helping.

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