Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important debate. Cases of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence are at a crisis point. Women's Aid was founded in 1974 and it has been instrumental in responding to the needs of women over the past 50 years. Having begun as a small service, it has grown into a national organisation that directly supports thousands of women throughout the country. I have directed women to it and it gives great advice around planning how to leave an abusive relationship because that is often the most dangerous time for women. Shamefully, however, its 50th anniversary was marked by the highest recorded level of disclosures of domestic abuse in its history, with nearly 46,000 cases. These are only the cases that are officially disclosed. In 2022, 10,000 protection orders were issued against the perpetrators of domestic violence, of which 5,000 were breached, yet only 500 abusers were convicted. This is a system that does not protect women. It is not working and it degrades us all. When a woman takes the brave step to escape, she faces a new injustice, the lack of emergency accommodation and support services. Women and children in crisis are being turned away and forced to stay in dangerous situations or travel long distances to access refuges. We need more refuge places. I know the Minister has acknowledged that, and I also acknowledge the work of his predecessor, the Minister, Deputy McEntee.

We need funding for front-line services. We need a justice system that protects survivors, not one that re-traumatises them. I am glad the Minister visited Teach Tearmainn in Kildare town. Although it is a fantastic refuge, it is overstretched. While I know nine counties do not have any refuge, Kildare is a two-constituency county with nine TDs. It has a big population. We need more than one refuge. The women of Kildare deserve better. They do not want our sympathy. Rather, they want services to be resourced, a commitment and a sense of urgency.

Last week, like many others, I listened to the harrowing experience my party comrade Seanadóir Nicole Ryan suffered when she was a child. She recalled in the Seanad and again on the RTÉ “Behind the Story” podcast how her stepfather had tried to kill her mother, how her mother had bravely risked her life to protect her children from him and how Nicole did all she could to shield her brother from the wrath of domestic abuse and violence. Nicole has come out the other end and is now shaping the future of our country on domestic abuse legislation in the Seanad. Her case is an example of how this can impact on our children and why it is important that the representation we have in these two Houses is representative of our population. As Nicole said, there are no child witnesses to domestic abuse, only sufferers. While I have spoken only about women, and men suffer from domestic violence as well, I always say that if we sort it out for the women, they will make sure it is sorted out for everyone. Ní saoirse go saoirse na mban.

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