Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)

I commend my colleagues Matt Carthy and Maria McCormack on enabling this vital Bill to be brought here this evening. Their work and the work of the brave campaigners made this happen. I salute the very brave women who made the powerful and difficult step of speaking out. For them, this Bill will come too late but in an unselfish act, they want this Bill to be brought in to protect others so they do not have to go through what they went through.

Imagine being a young child, happily playing games dreaming of what you want to be when you grow up, feeling safe and loved when suddenly that world is shattered. The person you believed loved you and protected you is doing something you do not understand. You do not like it. It hurts. Maybe you have been threatened by someone saying, "This is our secret. You cannot tell anyone". This is the reality for some young children. They grow up with this, knowing it feels wrong but they do not know why. When they finally understand, they are faced with impossible questions: "What do I do? Who do I tell? Will anyone believe me? Will this tear my family apart? Will this be all my fault?"

For those who make it to court, who face their abuser, who answer very harrowing questions despite the fact that it brings them right back to that vulnerable child and the traumatic detail, there is another betrayal - their counselling notes laid bare before the court. It is another trust broken and another reason for others to stay silent. When the sentence is finally handed down, we would hope that it brings relief and that it marks the beginning of healing, but that is not the case because for many survivors, it becomes in the words of one woman the ticking clock, counting down to the release date. The abuser who may never see themselves as the problem may walk straight back out of prison with nothing in place to stop them returning to their victim - no safeguards, no protection, nothing.

Right now across Ireland, there are children cowering in their bedrooms, children being abused, victims of domestic violence being beaten and coerced. Someone somewhere is about to disclose for the first time what is happening to them and we must ensure they are protected, safe and believed. We need to see more domestic violence shelters in Clare and right across the State, and we need real investment in the protective service units. We need legislation to be robust, survivor-centred legislation that puts their safety first.

To the women in the Gallery and all survivors, their courage, their voice, their determination to protect others is helping to shape a safer future and we will not stop until all survivors know they are believed, they are protected and they are safe.

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