John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister of State and thank the Leader for facilitating the debate, which is welcome and necessary. I thank the various organisations which made such valuable briefing documents available to us. Those documents contain some frightening statistics and I particularly endorse the views of Women's Aid in its 2003 report. The debate highlights one of the great tragedies in society, a tragedy that is reinforced when one sees the statistics.

The Leader referred to the many silent cases which remain behind those statistics — people who are unwilling to come forward because of various fears and concerns. It is even more tragic that such people do not have the confidence to seek help, take corrective action or get out of the situation.

I fully accept the statistics on domestic violence but it would be remiss of us to focus on any one group. We must face the realities in both the debate and in any actions taken as a result of it. One reality is that all sections of society are the victims of domestic violence. It is not restricted or confined to any particular demographic or social grouping. Violence against women has been highlighted and takes many forms, physical, sexual and psychological. Equally, there is domestic violence against men which is both physical and, in many cases, psychological. Children deal with the direct consequences of domestic violence, either as direct victims or as ancillary victims who witness what happens between their parents.

I have also received reports of violence towards elderly people who may be abused by young people or adults at home. We should not lose sight of that. There are also concerns as a result of recent court statistics which show a huge increase in demand for barring orders, not just between spouses but also by married couples against adult children living at home. Such couples are subjected to violence, sometimes because that child is abusing alcohol or drugs, and they feel it necessary to get a barring order against their own child. Domestic violence encompasses different aspects of society. Statistics may point in certain directions, but if we really want to address the matter, we must deal with different aspects of the problem.

The difficulties with psychological violence are proving that torment and having the confidence to go through the system in place to make one's case. Unfortunately, while physical violence leaves visible marks and scars, the psychological pressure one party can inflict on another is the really evil form of violence.

Our societal problem with alcohol abuse is a contributory factor, as are financial matters and the social pressures in the changing society in which we live. These factors contribute to a greater vulnerability to domestic violence.

As legislators we have to ask where we go from here and what we need to do to meet these challenges. We have a responsibility to legislate, but society also has a responsibility to face up to the problem. We must acknowledge the support of voluntary groups to the victims of domestic violence. In acknowledging that support, we have to learn from it and to work on the basis of the information they make available. The way forward is to draw up a proper policy based on the experiences of these groups as well as the State agencies involved in this area.

I accept the points made on the need for legal reform. I also accept the call for more refuge centres. However, a huge contribution can be made through the education of society. In doing this, we may be able to succeed in giving confidence to the victims of domestic violence to seek help at an early stage. Equally, society has a responsibility to support victims and not say it is a matter for the couple involved or the family. We need to educate people to have the confidence to support victims of domestic violence so that they will take the necessary action to seek help and assistance themselves. Following this debate, I hope we can move forward with the necessary legislative changes outlined by previous speakers. More important, I hope we can create awareness among the broader community of everyone's responsibility, at all levels.

I wish to digress in response to comments made earlier in the debate by Senator Terry which struck a raw nerve in me. If she were here I would reply to her. I was taken aback at her reference to my party, the Progressive Democrats, to the effect that we are an uncaring party. She said that the Progressive Democrats do not care about the needy or the vulnerable in society. I refute this remark categorically. I object to it personally and on behalf of my party. I do not accept that I fall into that category, as should be clear from my record since I first became involved in public life. My party brought forward——