Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As a member of the Committee on Gender Equality, which was established to go to through the recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly on Gender Equality, I am glad to have a chance to speak on this report. The statistics speak for themselves. Today, I want to speak in a way that is more reflective than reactive because although this is the first report from the CSO, how many other reports have we seen before the House?

I want to mention past generations who were the victims of sexual, gender-based or domestic violence and were silent or silenced. Instead of being protected, they were accused. Instead of being seen, they gave birth in fields, grottos or sheds. Instead of being minded by the community, they were shunned or bundled off to the local institution for fallen women. These women were not fallen; they were felled by hypocrisy, injustice, fear of the church and a pious State looking for a pat on the head from the same church for being good little Catholic politicians. Above all, they were felled by the patriarchy.

I think of all the women and children who contacted me about the mother and baby institutions. I think of the tears on the phone and having to have a box of tissues in my constituency office. There were tears of sorrow, but also of rage and disbelief at what happened to them, how they survived it and how they were and continue to be treated. The Bill is going through the Seanad.

According to the Rape Crisis Centre, 80% of people subjected to sexual violence did not report it to the Garda. That is why, when we talk about sexual violence, we should be mindful of what we say because none of us knows what another person is carrying. The 80% of the unseen survivors are all too real, like the trauma and pain they carry.

Part of my new brief as Sinn Féin spokesperson on defence is to work with the Women of Honour, and I am honoured to be able to do that. These women wore the uniform of the State and were proud and diligent members of the Defence Forces. They carried out their duty at home and overseas. When reading the report on the IRG into their experiences I had to stop many times. The language did not spare the reader, just like how the actions did not spare the members. There were criminal behaviours, abuse of rank and power, and a culture of misogyny. It did not come as a shock to any woman to hear that, at best, the Different Forces barely tolerated women. At worst, there was verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse of the women in its ranks. This did not happen 50 years ago; colloquially it was just the other day. There is work to be done for these women and Sinn Féin will do it. We know from reports from the National Women's Council and the Department of Justice that there is a serious problem with victims of DSGBV being attended to properly and professionally.

I am concerned about the type and quality of training being given to gardaí and others who have to deal with victims of sexual violence professionally on behalf of the State. In the case of the Garda, this training must be monitored by the Policing Authority and by means of other suitable mechanisms. Quality must be guaranteed. It cannot be hit and miss. It cannot be a case of with any luck, someone will get the right person and without luck it is a case of "Sorry about that".

Just as equality is required, so too is action. We need immediate action on safe accommodation. We have wonderful refuge accommodation in Teach Tearmainn in Kildare, but there are not enough apartments. I would like to thank the amazing people who run it and those who depend on them. Fifteen long months after Tusla published its accommodation review, there has been very little Government action on provision or strategy. So far, nine counties have no safe accommodation and that is not good enough. We have a refuge in south Kildare, but the county has a large enough population that it could do with two refuges. I will speak about that again.

Despite our obligations under the Istanbul Convention and State-wide obligations for the third national strategy on DSGBV, the Government has committed less than €2 million to the necessary initiatives. It is not good enough.

Less than €2 million is a pittance. I appreciate what is being done and I appreciate the report. It is good to have the statistics. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and everyone else in charge of this have their hearts in the right place. Nonetheless, swift and proper action must quickly follow.

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