Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of Sinn Féin, I too welcome the ambassador and the South African delegation.

I raise the important initiative launched today by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. We-Speak is a new anonymous online platform for survivors of sexual violence. Trained professionals will manage the platform and create a safe environment for survivors to tell their story and provide support to one another. We should acknowledge Noeline Blackwell, who recently announced she will retire from Dublin Rape Crisis Centre later in the year. Noeline, as the Taoiseach will know, is a champion of human rights, an innovator and a changemaker, and I hope she will continue this great work in her next life chapter.

Last year, the women's forum made a number of recommendations to the Government, one of which was for an all-island strategy on gender-based violence. A related shared commitment North and South concerns the introduction of a statutory entitlement to domestic violence paid leave. The decision of the Government to attach a prescribed rate of pay to this entitlement was roundly rejected by victims, advocates and, indeed, members of the Taoiseach's Oireachtas team. Cutting the pay of domestic violence victims would be intolerable and would be in direct conflict with the Government's zero-tolerance policy. While the legislation providing for the domestic violence leave has been enhanced, the regulations to provide for the leave have yet to be drafted and are now unlikely to be finalised this year. Will the Taoiseach explain the delay and give a commitment to following up on this?

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