Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I might begin on refuge spaces, as they were an issue that came up throughout the debate. Deputies Murnane O'Connor, Funchion and many others across the House raised them. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle raised the issue with me on oral questions and I have an update to send to her trying to provide this detail.

There are quite a few issues here, but two important ones. One is to map out where we are going with refuge spaces. All that has been done now and we know the priority locations. There has been work done by the Department on identifying a lead local organisation for each of them. That is being progressed. There has also been much work done on the acquisition of sites. I am happy to share that and share it widely. I will come back to what is beyond that in a moment, but it is an important issue. On the second issue, Deputy Murnane O'Connor is correct to say there are many moving parts in this. I do not mean that flippantly or in a smart way. We work at a national level and with local organisations. We need planning permission and we need tenders. I undertake to look at how we can begin to communicate the steps between the idea of there needing to be a new refuge to the doors opening and how we can work with local groups to make it as straightforward as possible. There has been good progress, with a number of sites now underway and a lot done in terms of mapping. We are very committed to this. I am conscious of how important it is and I acknowledge that as well.

When I had to step out, I think a question was asked about where the familicide and domestic homicide report is. I have just finished a series of engagements with the families who fed into that report and it is my intention to publish that report this month. I hope to be in a position to bring that to Cabinet and publish it this month as well.

References were made to the Garda by Deputy Mattie McGrath and others. I do not want to have an argument, especially when the Deputy is not here, but it is important for anyone who has a complaint about any member of An Garda Síochána to know there is a way to raise it either with the organisation or with the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. That is a more appropriate way to do that than raising it on the floor of the Dáil.

I wish to be clear about the CSO Sexual Violence Survey 2022. The figures and statistics are distressing and shocking and while we knew we had a problem with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the day we do not find these figures shocking is the day we normalise them. We should be shocked. We should be stopped in our tracks at what these figures are telling us. A study like this means we often use terms like "baseline figures", we speak in percentages and speak about numbers. I am conscious the finding that 21% of women have reported non-consensual sexual intercourse does little to portray the impact each of those women have felt from such an abhorrent and vile act that has been perpetrated against them. Equally stark and upsetting is we learn from this study that the vast majority of these victims knew the person who did that to them. The perpetrator was presumably someone they once trusted. In the cases revealed of sexual violence carried out by an intimate partner, those acts were carried out by someone the victim must have cared about and perhaps loved at one point in their relationship. Such a violation of trust is reprehensible and such an act is utterly unacceptable. We cannot accept it, we do not accept it and I acknowledge the contributions from across the House on that.

It is absolutely clear we need to work together. There are moments where we should have robust debate in this House and of course the Government should be held to account on the delivery of our strategies and plans, but I believe this is an issue where everybody in this House, from all parties and none, support where we want to get to. We need to tackle these terrible crimes and reduce the level of them. We need to ensure all the necessary supports are in place so victims will feel safe and supported when they come forward to report. These are the central aims of the zero tolerance strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This is a strategy that has been described by advocates, stakeholders and people who have worked their whole adult lives in this area as an extraordinarily ambitious strategy. No-one is doubting that. We have a really ambitious national plan, but now it is absolutely about delivery and implementation.

The actions in the strategy are across Departments and State agencies. This reflects the reality zero tolerance can be achieved only through a whole-of-society effort and that sexual and gender-based violence cannot be treated as a criminal justice issue alone. There is of course an important criminal justice element here, but there are other pieces too. I was taken by Deputy O'Donoghue's point about the mobile phone and the smartphone and how that has changed the access and perhaps consequently the cultural attitudes younger people might have towards sex, as well as how we as parents must deal with that reality. The smartphone is not going anywhere and technology is not going anywhere. Our children are growing up in a very different world. The ambitions set out in the strategy extend across society, from our schools to our homes to our workplaces and beyond. Zero tolerance means ensuring strategies aimed at preventing and combatting violence against women and against men also addresses the specific role of men and boys in particular in preventing violence against women. We need to be really clear on that. Zero tolerance means greater education, greater awareness to change attitudes and teaching respect. It means teaching our children equality, respect and healthy sexuality from a young age and at all levels of education.

I do not wish to be disagreeable about this, but I fundamentally disagree with some of the comments made in this House about sex education. When our children are educated in an age-appropriate way that is a good thing. When a teacher stands at the top of the classroom, that teacher gets asked questions and that teacher needs to be empowered to know how best to respond to those in an age-appropriate manner. That is ultimately what reform of SPHE is about. It is nothing to fear. Of course parents should be involved, consulted and informed all along, but it is about providing kids with the facts, in an age-appropriate way, to know that it is about respect, consent, inclusivity and tolerance. These are things we need to embed at a young age.

Zero tolerance also means organisations like An Garda Síochána and the Prisons Service must be exemplars. They must ensure there is zero tolerance within the organisations to inappropriate behaviour and that where a person is subjected to such behaviour, or indeed witnesses it, he or she is empowered to speak up. Where people do speak up they must be supported and the organisation must deal firmly with perpetrators.

I commend the Women of Honour on their courage, bravery and commitment in speaking about their experiences in the public arena to bring about change. I fully recognise the trauma and the distress suffered by all these victims of these heinous acts and welcome the commitments made by my colleague, the Tánaiste, on behalf of the Government in relation to a full and robust inquiry into these matters. I make it clear every sector, Department, agency and individual has a role to play in calling out and taking action against sexual violence. For our part, all Departments and all agencies will be required to have regard to the definition of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence as set out in the strategy when implementing actions under their remit. For example, the importance of education on consent is explicitly set out in the new strategy. It is essential we take a zero tolerance approach to ignorance or downplaying of the importance of consent in healthy sexual relationships. The strategy makes clear the importance of enhancing the understanding of children and young people of what consent is and what a healthy relationship looks like. We will do this through actions targeting education and schools and third-level institutions and awareness-raising for the general public.

Education and awareness-raising have played, and will continue to play, an important part in the Government's fight against sexual and gender-based violence. That continues with the zero tolerance strategy. It is also worth noting this strategy is a living document. Issues that have been highlighted by the CSO research can come into further consideration during the lifetime of the strategy and the annual action plans.

I encourage anyone who has been a victim of any kind of sexual assault, including within An Garda Síochána and the Prisons Service, to come forward. There are specialist Garda members in every division who are trained to ensure any victim presenting to the Garda is met with consistently high standards of specialist, sensitive, professional and expert assistance. Regardless of the circumstances in which sexual violence occurs, a victim of these horrific crimes should never, ever be concerned about reporting what has happened to them and seeking the help they need and the justice they deserve. That has to be a priority for this Government and we will continue to take a victim-centred approach to everything we do in this area, as is correct.

We have made a great deal of progress together. What the CSO sexual violence prevalence survey shows is that we have much more to do. Now more than ever, the full implementation of our third national strategy becomes an imperative. I look forward to working with all Deputies in that regard.

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