Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, for taking my Adjournment matter on the important issue of sexual assaults. The matter of child abuse has been central to recent discussions across the country and I recognise that the Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, made an announcement yesterday. I tabled this Adjournment matter for yesterday, but it was only accepted today. I will be interested in the reply.

I wish to highlight the good work being done by the north-west sexual assault services group, an informal partnership of representatives of organisations, including both police services, from across the north west that are involved in planning or providing services for people following sexual assaults. In June 2009, it held a workshop to consider what a cross-Border model of services should look like. It wanted to show just how joined-up cross-Border working could deliver, particularly in the areas of psychological, clinical and forensic and legal PSNI-Garda services. It did this in the context of how the needs of the people of the north west could best be met and linked into the plans for the new regional centre in County Antrim.

The majority of rape and sexual assault cases are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. Almost one in five Irish women has admitted to having experienced domestic violence by a current or former intimate partner or spouse, a percentage of which is sexual violence. Often, the child as well as the adult can be the victim in these assaults. It is likely that we all know someone who has suffered and might feel that he or she cannot speak about the abuse.

It is recognised that sexual violence and abuse are among the most damaging crimes and they impact in a traumatic manner on the physical, mental and sexual health of the victims for many years afterwards. To minimise the long-term effects of abuse, we need an integrated approach to services across departmental lines as well as in a borderless manner in the north west. We need to support the provision of experienced staff who will be available in appropriate locations and the maximising of resources through a co-ordination of services.

Recently, a Garda station in Buncrana was informally opened. Like many of the newer Garda stations, such as that in Letterkenny, it has its own sexual assault unit as a core part of the physical infrastructure. It is vital that dedicated personnel be identified and given responsibility specifically for the remit of sexual assaults. They must build relationships with groups on the ground, of which there are many. By having consistency and a development of trust, there is the greatest opportunity to be able to share experience and drive the optimum response from all sectors involved.

There is the argument that many people do not report at all. As such, it might not be realistic statistically to have personnel exclusively dedicated to sexual assaults in small areas. When there is a case of a sexual assault, however, it is important that an identified officer would be on hand to offer a professional and experienced handling of the situation.

We must also explore ways to enable and facilitate people to speak out about what has happened to them. We are now hearing of victims of sexual assaults carried out decades ago. Their pain remains raw and their need for healing in a real and deep sense is as vital now as when the acts were perpetrated. For many of them, their lives could have been different if they had felt able to deal with their attackers and expose them much earlier. This is a key issue.

In discussing this matter, I hope to call for a focus on tackling the issue of sexual and domestic violence in Border areas. As a representative of a cross-Border area, I know that it is imperative that we tackle the issue of cross-Border sex attacks and assaults against women. The Border can be and historically has been played. An all-island sex offenders register must be a top priority. Too often, alas, I meet a girl who has had a relationship with someone from a few miles up the road, often from over the Border, and who only found out too late that he had been sexually assaulting a child in the house when he was visiting. The information exchange of who poses a danger to women or children is obviously vital. The Border is not a physical wall. In our area it is not a psychological wall, but the fact that there are two jurisdictions can provide a protective wall. By maximising co-operation we minimise the potential for abusers to act with impunity. It is imperative that we have a cross-Border network to allow the Garda and the PSNI to work together to ensure those who commit these attacks will be brought to justice and to close the loophole that allows offenders to move from one jurisdiction to another with the intention of evading prosecution. We must look at how offenders are getting away with committing these heinous crimes and establish a system that will see them punished. We need to support our newly qualified health workers who have specialised in this area.

In the Republic of Ireland the national women's strategy 2007-16 proposes actions to combat violence against women through improved services for victims, together with effective prevention measures and prosecution. In the North the Tackling Violence at Home strategy included a commitment for public sector and voluntary and community sector employers to implement policies within their organisations by 2007. The Domestic Violence Act 1996 is the governing legislation in the Republic of Ireland. In the North the issue of domestic violence is covered by the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004. We need to maximise the potential of these laws to bring to an end domestic violence and also to reduce the potential for cross-Border sexual assaults to occur, keeping the victim foremost in our minds and actions.

Sexual violence is a crime not only against women's or men's bodies, but also against their freedom, independence and autonomy. I commend those working to support survivors of abuse but ask what we, as a Government and society, can do to assist them more. I hope that following yesterday's announcement there will be a specific measure for the north west to give regional expression to the work being done.