Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the CSO report, which will be a vital tool in combating domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The information in the report will allow Governments to develop adequate services and supports. I thank everybody involved in the report. It is not an easy thing to do to give that information. I join the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and urgently call on the Minister to reform the justice system into one where those who are victims of sexual violence can report in safety and confidence so they can get justice and perpetrators are held to account. We have to put appropriate and safe mechanisms in place to allow victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence to become survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

As it stands, 80% of people do not report incidences of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. We as a society need to take a holistic approach that takes into consideration the myriad reasons so many people do not report these crimes. An article I read published by the Rape Crisis Network Ireland explains this much better than I ever could. It states:

Survivors are women, men, and children from all walks of life, who are making in fact a series of choices, about something that has the potential to have a massive impact on their lives.

Survivors live under a range of circumstances.

They may have families, loved ones, friends, jobs, dependents, illnesses, children, caring responsibilities, exams, bills, debts, mortgages, and all the myriad dilemmas, big and small that people deal with everyday all over Ireland ...

When someone is raped or sexually assaulted, then they have another set of choices. But those choices are not made in isolation, they are made in the context of complete lives.

What will reporting mean to my partner, how will I protect my children, will it affect my career, will it cost me financially, can I afford it, is there a risk that I will be approached by the perpetrator when I go to the supermarket to pick up dinner?

And filtering all those questions will be what survivors might know or believe about attitudes in society, how the justice process works, and what will be asked of them.

It is in that context that many people read the latest sexual assault case appearing in the papers.

The media has a large part to play in how it reports instances of sexual violence. There seems to be a culture of survivor blaming. I will use the word "victim" when discussing this matter, as that is often the word the media uses when portraying these crimes, saying that reports state that the victim was drunk, the victim was alone, or the victim left with the perpetrator willingly. I could go on. Rape is not caused by decisions that victims make. Rape is caused by an individual who decides to perpetrate a sexual crime on another person. The cause of rape is the rapist. Every such report informs survivors of what they might expect and, indeed, risk if they were to report. We need to start putting measures in place that enable survivors, victims or both - whatever they choose to call themselves - to come forward so that they can get the help they need.

The statistics from the CSO survey have been mentioned: 52% of women reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetimes; 28% of men reported experiencing sexual violence in their lifetimes; 8% of over-65s reported experiencing sexual violence, both as adults and as children; and 78% of adults who experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetimes knew the perpetrators. This last is an important statistic, especially in light of the amount of misinformation on social media about new arrivals into our country. These findings are shocking, but they are not surprising. This country has a dark history of sweeping things under the carpet and not dealing with them head-on.

In the brief time remaining, I wish to discuss Saoirse Women's Refuge in my area. I have seen at first-hand the incredible work it does. It provides short-term refuge accommodation and 24-hour support for up to six families at a time. It also provides an outreach service. Last year, Saoirse Women's Refuge could not accommodate 287 families because the refuge was full. Resources need to be put in place so that the refuge can continue providing this life changing, and often lifesaving, service.

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