Mary O'Rourke (Fianna Fail)

I thank Senator O'Meara for bringing this matter and the report to my attention and allowing me to bring it to the floor of the House. I also thank her for providing the briefing paper on domestic violence from Women's Aid which is most helpful to all Members who wish to speak on this topic. I am pleased to be able to contribute to this important debate.

Many years ago, the issue of domestic violence first came into the public arena, although it has always existed. As I mentioned to my party's spokesperson on these issues, Senator Kett, we only learn of some cases but there are many others which are not brought forward. Senator O'Toole touched on this point of an in-built worry, lack of confidence and fear in a woman who is the victim of domestic violence. Women ask whether they should tell people, go to the Garda, to a refuge or to somebody for advice. Very often they fear they will be got at again or someone will follow them. Being in one's own home provides a nest of security. It provides that feeling to a woman that she is mistress of all she surveys, until the violence begins again.

When I was a local authority member, many women came to see me about domestic violence. I would tell them to go to the local Garda station, to somebody for advice or to a refuge centre. There was a good centre in Athlone, Esker House, which has been mentioned in the report. My main advice was for them to tear themselves away from the situation.

Late one night 25 years ago, when my late husband, Enda, and I were in bed, a woman called to our door who was very bruised and upset. It was around the time when condoms began to be more readily available. It was a time when we were being brave and out-front. Thankfully, this issue is now a matter of acceptance in everyone's life. The Church can go off and do its own thing, but we know what we want to do. The woman and her husband had six children and the particular beating arose because she did not wish to become pregnant again. It was difficult to obtain condoms and her husband refused to abstain. I advised her that the political magazine Hibernia contained advertisements where one could apply for condoms which were sent under special post. I gave her the advertisement and she was able to get them. The couple were able to come to a satisfactory arrangement and have remained happily married. The sequel to this piquant story was that two weeks later at the voluntary secondary school where I taught I received a visit from a priest who informed me that I had been advising people to use condoms. I explained that I had and asked what was wrong with this. He informed me that the Church did not agree with the use of condoms. I asked him what he would say to that woman who wants to have sex but cannot because she does not want a seventh child. He responded by saying she must abstain. That story is very telling. It happened years ago but it lit in me an interest in such issues, which I never lost. Many women, out of a mistaken sense of shame, do not tell their tale to people who could help them.

Some people would point out there are cases where women are violent to men, but I note the statistics in this excellent briefing document indicate that in the US it is estimated that between 90% and 95% of violence by intimates is perpetrated by men on women. Also, a major study of police reports on crime surveys in UK, USA and Canada found that between 90% and 97% of perpetrators of violence in intimate relationships are men. While I am genuinely sorry for the men who have been violently attacked by women, in more than 95% of such cases women are the victims of male violence.

We should encourage confidence in women to speak up. I know of many men on whom barring orders have been served and they have had to leave the home. In many cases the couple come back together and the barring order acted as a good, sharp shock to them and they decide, in the main, to behave themselves. Barring orders should be properly enforced. The catcalling of women by the people on whom barring orders have been served, as well as the enforcement of the barring orders, should be monitored.

I note also in the briefing document that 76 families were accommodated in the Esker House women's refuge in Athlone, a place I know well and in which I was involved at the start in 2002. On leaving the refuge only eight families moved to safe accommodation, free from abuse, and three returned to the family home, in respect of which a barring order had already been served.

The Minister of State present is a worthy member of the ministerial team in the Department with responsibility for local government. There is an uneven provision of housing in such situations across local authorities based on how they view women who have fled from violence and brought their children with them. Some local authorities are good at providing housing in such circumstances and give those concerned priority, but some do not rank such cases high on their list. They would be of the view that the tenancy was given jointly to a husband and wife or partners and, therefore, are not interested. I stress to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government that it should seek to have an even and just system of allocation of priority housing in such situations.

Members who spoke in this debate might come together to try to persuade the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, which indicated it would implement changes to the Domestic Violence Act 1996, that changes should be made to the legislation. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, promised to work through an amendment to that legislation, but we would like to have sight of such legislation. Much has happened since 1996, which is now almost eight years ago, but what has not changed are some of the matters about which Senator O'Toole spoke. I refer to the attitude of society towards women, which in many cases is at the root of what we see exemplified in domestic violence cases. I am incensed sometimes at the portrayal of women in advertising. Members may say that has nothing to do with this report, which it has not, but down the line such portrayal can lead to a degree of violence. One example is the portrayal of women as sexual sirens to sell goods. We are all used to seeing page three women draped across cars. Have members heard and viewed advertisements which tell listeners and viewers about what a wonderful homebody a woman is, all virtues I extol and think are good? However, it is always women who are portrayed cleaning the oven, recommending how to clean the oven or using a product they are told will ensure their pies will rise higher than those of the woman up the street. All these messages put women in their so-called proper place.