Kathleen O'Meara (Labour)

Much of what I had intended to say has been said already. There have been contributions to this debate by Members of all parties. There is general agreement on the situation and, probably, on what must be done about it. A great deal remains to be done and in his initial remarks the Minister outlined certain things that will happen.

At the weekend a number of Members were concerned to hear that the Rape Crisis Centre is unable to provide a weekend service in many areas. There is no sexual assault unit available in my region. This must be corrected as it has been an issue there for a long time. Unless specific measures such as these are implemented we cannot claim to meet the needs of victims of domestic violence.

With regard to calls to the Women's Aid national free phone helpline — the latest statistics are in its 2005 report — it is worrying that there is an ongoing increase in the number of calls to the helpline. A breakdown of the statistics gives a fair indication of the situation faced by women. The callers are mainly women. There is no denying there is domestic violence against men, carried out by women and by male partners in the case of a male homosexual relationship. It is time we acknowledged that and examined it. I note in the submissions received from the Amen group that there is a sense of discrimination against male victims of domestic violence. If that exists, it cannot be accepted and must be addressed.

However, my remarks today will deal with the issue of domestic violence against women and the problem of human trafficking. The latter was brought to our attention in a graphic and powerful way last week by a number of groups, particularly nuns, operating under the intercongregational ad hoc working group, which operates under the umbrella of CORI and IMU.

Notably, the statistics published by Women's Aid show an increase in the number of calls to the helpline. In 2005, a total of 25,843 calls were made to the Women's Aid helpline. That is an increase of 30% on 2004. The helpline responded to 15,339 calls, an increase of 26% on the 2004 figures. However, the Women's Aid helpline recorded 10,504 missed calls. These could not be answered as the service was working to capacity and all support workers were engaged. This was a 29% increase in the number of calls which could not be answered in 2004. That is unacceptable. It is notable that a number of calls to the helpline were made by children.

I agree with what has been said by other speakers. However, it is important to take note of the issue of trafficking of women. This is a broader issue than simply domestic violence but it involves violence against women which is perpetrated at an appalling level. We are currently experiencing a wave of trafficking of women from eastern Europe. They now represent more than 25% of what is, effectively, a slave trade. It is a modern form of slavery. In the 1980s alone, more women and children were enslaved by trafficking from Asia than all the people sold into slavery from Africa during the 400 years of the slave trade. We are talking about the modern world in this instance.

Ratification is urgently needed of the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking of Persons and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings. Legislation should also be introduced to protect the victims of crime because the fact that Ireland has become a destination for gangs cannot be tolerated. The Government should introduce measures for rehabilitating survivors and establish an independent monitor to ensure transparency of procedures. It need not be said that trafficking in persons is a grave violation of human rights, so I urge the Minister of State to make the necessary responses.