Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am very clear on this. The Defence Forces are there to protect society and keep people safe. I believe that, as with An Garda Síochána, standards have to be very high, given the unique role the Defence Forces play in society, over and above other sectors of the public service. That imposes an extra burden, but it is necessary. I think we are all shocked by the level of violence against women in society today. It is quite shocking. I do not understand such levels of violence. I do not understand the aggression and I do not understand how someone can beat a woman unconscious. I am not talking about any particular case, just generally. We have had a number of cases of horrific violence and rape perpetrated against women. We need zero tolerance of such violence against women. Notwithstanding all the programmes in our education system, from relationships and sexuality education, RSE, to social personal and health education, SPHE, it seems the level, aggression and nature of the violence are getting progressively worse. At a societal level, we need to do a deep-dive analysis of this to make inroads on it.

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