Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to start by thanking a number of people. I want to thank people like Ms Vera O'Leary and her staff, the excellent people who work in the Kerry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre and who have given guidance, help and assistance to people in different types of distress over the decades. I also want to thank the people in the ADAPT refuge in Kerry and all the people who work in the services. I also want to thank members of An Garda Síochána for the kindness they show to people at times of trauma in their lives after sexual violence. Members of the Garda are at the coalface of that on many occasions and the Minister for Justice can be proud of their record in County Kerry in the work they do. I commend them on that.

Very sadly, over the years, as a local and then as a national representative, I have come across victims of different types of sexual assault and encounters that were horrific. Dealing with the aftermath of that is a traumatic experience for everybody involved. One thing that I must say is that we seem be in a race to the bottom. What I mean by that is that it seems be a case of anything goes in society now. We have a situation where we put toilets in schools but we will not put boys or girls' signs on them. That, to me, is insanity. I believe that when a young girl or a young lady starting out in life goes to a bathroom, it should be a place of refuge and safety, where there are only girls inside. That is what I truly believe and the same applies to boys. When boys are in a bathroom, there should be nobody but boys in there. That is my belief and nothing will change it. I am very sorry if I am offending anybody when I say that but that is the way I feel about it. I want us to be teaching young people in schools about mechanics, cars, and safety on our roads. We have all the time for sex but no time for teaching people about motor cars.

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