Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Absolutely. That would be nice.

Yesterday, I raised with the Taoiseach the very shocking case of Tori Towey. Tori is, as he knows, a 28-year old young woman from Roscommon. She is living and working in Dubai as an airline attendant, and she married last March. Since then, Tori has been subjected to sustained and brutal domestic violence and abuse. When she went to the authorities to seek help, instead of being protected, she was sent home with her husband. He then destroyed her passport so she could not travel and she could not work. She could not come back to Ireland. Tori was, in effect, held captive by her abuser. Just over two weeks ago, she endured a particularly vicious beating. Her husband repeatedly slammed doors on her arms, trying to break her limbs, and tried to strangle her. She fled upstairs in a desperate attempt to escape the violence and, in desperation, tried to take her own life. When Tori came to, she was surrounded by paramedics, but instead of being taken to a hospital, she was taken to a police station. There, she was charged with attempted suicide and alcohol abuse. Tori was placed in a cell with 50 other women. She was not told what she was charged with. She was not given any information at all. Tori was released on bail but her passport was blocked. She is banned from leaving the state. She is currently living in accommodation with her mother, Caroline, who travelled to Dubai to support her. All of this happened on 28 June, nearly two weeks ago.

Tori's appalling situation came to my attention yesterday and to that of my colleague Deputy Claire Kerrane. We have raised this with the Taoiseach in the expectation that the Government will move with urgency to end this nightmare. I spoke with Tori and her mother again this morning. I know the Taoiseach has been speaking to them also. He is aware that they feel isolated and vulnerable. They told me that they feel like they are being held hostage. They are scared. The coming hours are crucial because once the Dubai court process kicks in, it will become harder to get Tori back home to Ireland quickly. Tori wants to come home. The Government must do absolutely everything to get her home. This is an Irish woman, an Irish citizen, and the message must go out loudly and clearly that we will not allow any Irish citizen to be treated in this way by anybody and that we will confront this medieval, grotesque treatment of women. Women are not chattel; we do not belong to men. Men do not own us. Tori Towey does not belong to her husband. She does not belong to Dubai. She belongs at home in Ireland. We will not rest until she is at home.

Tá Tori Towey i lár an tromluí is measa a bheadh ag gach bean. Caithfidh an Rialtas gach rud is féidir leis a dhéanamh chun í a thabhairt ar ais abhaile go hÉireann. When I raised this case with the Taoiseach yesterday and spoke to him subsequently, he said - and we agreed - that he would do everything he could to intervene to help Tori. Can he set out for us what steps he and the Government have taken in the past 24 hours to get Tori Towey home? The Dubai authorities must drop the charges against her, remove the travel ban, and allow this woman to travel home.

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