Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Natasha O'Brien, who is in the Gallery, and thank the Social Democrats for bringing forward this motion. It is another motion, at a time when we need to move from talking to action.

According to the Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, SAVI, report, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is at epidemic levels in our society. All of the reports on this matter show that. One such report by Women's Aid reported an 18% increase in disclosures of domestic abuse in 2023, compared to the previous year, the highest number ever received by the organisation in its 50-year history. It is no surprise that refuge services for those fleeing domestic violence struggle to cope and to accommodate those who need help.

Shockingly, we still have nine counties without refuges. I have raised this issue before and will do so again. I will keep raising it until we get this sorted. The two counties in my constituency, Laois and Offaly, do not have any accommodation. Families, typically women and children, have nowhere to turn, which is not acceptable. A large area in the midlands has been left without any accommodation. People have to flee these counties and go to other areas. They are disconnected from GP services, schools, family support and friends. Laois and Offaly are two of the counties with the fastest growing population. Given that we have a significant number of people aged under 24, demographics come into play. How can we let this happen? We know changes need to be made in education and our culture, public life and workplaces. This issue has to be tackled on a cross-societal basis.

Given what we have seen in recent weeks, we need better training for judges, gardaí and others who work directly with the victims of domestic violence. The issue regarding the Judiciary has been brought home to us in recent weeks. Laois and Offaly urgently require domestic violence refuges. We need to fix this. I ask the Department and all involved to treat this with a sense of urgency.

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