Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the very fine work of my colleague the Minister in this area and, indeed, the work that has been done across government and beyond to implement the zero-tolerance strategy.

The fight against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is one we all need to engage fully with. As we have heard from the Minister, affecting substantial change in this area is possible. We can, and will, drive real progress in combating these horrific crimes because we are committed, determined and taking action. It is 2025 and the major obstacle to achieving gender equality in Europe is violence against women and girls. That cannot be allowed to continue. We cannot allow that to continue. We will work with our partners, ensure access to supports for victims, hold perpetrators to account and at the same time challenge and address societal root causes which underpin these horrific crimes.

However, it is really for all of us, as individuals, to realise that we must contribute. To realise that we must, in our everyday lives, do our bit to eradicate existing social and cultural attitudes and contribute to an environment where women and girls feel safe and protected and are safe and protected. There must be zero tolerance. We all have a role to play in this.

Among those playing a starring role are workers in our front-line services and I want to acknowledge in particular the commitment and expertise of our victims' services. These play a vital role in ensuring that when women and families come forward to seek support, they are treated with the highest standard of care, compassion and respect.

The ADAPT domestic abuse service in Limerick is leading from the front in this regard. ADAPT provides care and safety to vulnerable women and children affected by domestic abuse last year, it accommodated 125 families including 158 children at its refuge facility in Limerick. These figures are stark and underscore the urgency with which we all must act to ensure zero tolerance of DSGBV.

It is important to recognise the staff, paid and voluntary, who work with ADAPT and other front-line services across the country, often in difficult and highly pressurised roles, to support those facing some of the most traumatic experiences imaginable. Their knowledge, rooted in years of direct experience, also informs our national strategies and ensures our policies put the experiences of survivors first. They model empathy and understanding in this difficult space that we would all do well to try to replicate.

In conclusion, I want to echo the words of the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, reaffirming the Government's unwavering commitment to that zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This is not only a justice issue; it is a whole of society issue. It is not something for the Government to tackle; it is for all of us to tackle.

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