Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The completion of this first sexual violence survey is very welcome. We can never have enough data. Unfortunately, the data show us what we do not want to confront or talk about and what we do not like to say about ourselves. I acknowledge the role of the Rape Crisis Network and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in ensuring these data were collated in a very comprehensive way. I also want to say a word of appreciation to the people working in the Aoibhneas support service in my own area. They do absolutely brilliant work. I will take this opportunity to say to the Minister that if they had more funding they could do even more of that brilliant work. If anything, what we see from this sexual violence survey is that there is plenty of work for them to do. There is a lot of need and demand there. The crimes that are described in this survey - that is what they are, although we tend to use different language - and the prevalence of these crimes should be a worry to every single one of us. However, these issues are not new. We did not just discover DSGBV. We have been living with it for a while. It is helpful that we now have data collated but we really need to see action following.

The fact is 52% of women and 28% of men reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. If that is not an epidemic level, I do not know what is. It means 40% of adults surveyed experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. It is really shocking. We must do all we can to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence, but where it happens - and it does happen and we see it does happen - supports must be in place and they must be focused on the victims and the survivors.

The programme for Government commits to tackling the epidemic of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and to uphold the Istanbul Convention. That is really welcome and a very necessary aim, but to achieve this, funding must follow the data. We have the data and now we need the funding. As it currently stands, less than €2 million was provided to new domestic, sexual and gender-based violence initiatives in 2023. I am talking about new initiatives, and this data supports the fact we need new initiatives. I am aware there are many excellent and well-funded long-standing initiatives, but there is a real need for new funding.

There is currently a serious problem with respect to victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence being respected and believed, as outlined by the NWCI and the Department of Justice report. As a society, we must do much more to help victims speak out and ensure they are respected, they are believed and they feel empowered to be able to come forward. On this point, I make reference to victims and survivors who speak out in their workplace to get domestic violence leave. This is something I, our party president, Deputy McDonald, and Sinn Féin collectively have worked hard on for many years. I brought forward legislation to provide domestic violence leave. It was drafted in conjunction with stakeholders, with an eye to ensuring the level was set at what the victims and survivors need. It was superseded by Government legislation that did not match exactly the needs. It is really welcome it happened and I do not in any way dismiss it. It is absolutely groundbreaking and we are right to be proud we have done it. However, the Minister wears two hats and with his other hat on, he will be aware the men and women in the higher education sector in our universities and colleges have ten days of paid leave. That is what Sinn Féin would have given. It is what the advocacy groups have looked for. That amount gives victims and survivors a chance. It means they have enough time. The Unite trade union pointed out:

Given the lack of vital supports such as refuge places, five days’ paid domestic violence leave is not only inadequate but may actually mean that women are forced to return to an abusive situation because they do not have sufficient paid leave to complete their journey to safety.

That is the place nobody wants to be.

We can see 53% of women compared with 34% of men told someone, so I echo the comment by my colleague, Deputy Daly, by saying this is not a women-only problem, but a societal problem. I tell men and women, and people of all genders, that if they are in that situation, speak out. There is help. There is someone there.

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