Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this issue. While the evidence in the document is shocking and depressing, for want of a better word, it is important that we have that information and that we now act on that information. I acknowledge some of the steps that have been taken by the Ministers, Deputy Harris and Deputy McEntee. In particular, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has really taken this on and we were lucky to have her in Kilkenny to visit the Amber Women's Refuge.

There is so much that I always want to say on this topic but I will try to confine my remarks to the issue of under-reporting. We have to ask ourselves why there is such a high level of under-reporting. We know there is a fear and that some ask whether people will believe them. People know they are going to be asked questions but they wonder if they are going to be asked so many questions that they will start questioning themselves. There is a sense of guilt that some people have which they should not have, but they think “Should I have done something different?” or “Did I somehow bring this upon myself?” All of that leads to under-reporting.

Then, when somebody does take the very brave step to go in and report, it is important that they are met with the correct attitude. This is where I want to pay tribute to the protective services units in the Garda Síochána. We are very lucky to have an excellent protective services unit in Kilkenny, which works really well, often in collaboration with Amber Women's Refuge. We need to examine where that system is working around the country to see if we can replicate that because the units nearly serve as a one-stop shop for people, although that is not necessarily their role. We know from the survey that 78% of all people - men and women - who have experienced sexual violence know the person, so it is often more than just reporting the case to the Garda and there are often legal implications if the person is, for example, seeking a safety order or a protection order. All of that is such a minefield and they are dealing with all of the emotional aspects as well, so it can be very difficult. All of that leads to under-reporting. We need to make it as streamlined as possible, which is why we need to see additional resources being given to the protective services units. While they work well, they definitely need more resources and they would welcome those resources. That is a crucial part of this.

There are areas where we do not have Garda protective services units. Such units need to be available to all people because it totally changes their experience. I know anecdotally from constituents that the level of understanding and empathy is very different when people come across members of the Garda who are sufficiently trained.

I want to touch briefly on the issue of refuge spaces. I know it is a little different but the issues are very much linked.

I am disappointed that we have not seen more work done to provide refuge spaces. We do have an excellent refuge, as I said, but it covers both Carlow and Kilkenny. Carlow really does need its own stand-alone refuge.

I also want to touch on the point made in the report of the Ombudsman for Children to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child that insufficient attention is being given to the issue of children affected by domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. That is something that we need to bear in mind.

I want to pay tribute to Safe Ireland and the Rape Crisis Centre for all of the work they have done to create more awareness and for all of the supports they provide for victims as well as for people like us, as public representatives. In this role, when we are dealing with people in difficult situations, we always want to make sure we are giving them the correct advice. Unlike a lot of other sectors that we talk about, there are some really good and common-sense solutions coming from this sector, from those that work with the women, predominantly, who are in these situations and a small amount of additional resources could mean an awful lot. At the risk of repeating myself, one of the key elements is the protective services units in An Garda Síochána. Where those units are working well, we need to ensure that they have adequate resources, including the correct number of gardaí and administration staff. Where we do not have such units, we need to ensure that Garda stations are given the resources to set them up because they can be the key difference in terms of people coming forward or not.

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