James Heffernan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers, I again welcome the Minister of State. It is good to see him looking so hail and hearty. I am aware, as other speakers have said, that he is very committed to this area of human rights that comes under his brief.

I welcome the motion proposed by Senator Norris and congratulate him on securing cross-party for it. Anyone viewing the proceedings of the Order of Business this morning would realise how difficult it is to achieve that. I commend the Senator for bringing forward the motion and also many of the contributions to it from Members on all sides of the House.

When we think of victims of warfare the body bag tally is often the figure most widely reported. However, a more grim tally that is less well reported is the number of women and girls, and men and boys as mentioned earlier, who are subjected to rape, abuse and other forms of sexual violence. That was a topic of debate in an English lesson when I was in first year in secondary school in 1992. I examined some of the figures we spoke about and the way things have progressed since then and it makes for grim reading.

I will not delay the House but in the war in Bosnia up to 50,000 women were subjected to sexual violence. Over 14 years 40% of Liberia's population suffered similar abuse. Under half of those interviewed in a study in Sierra Leone in 2000 had been raped and more than a quarter had been gang raped. The effect of that sexual violence can lead to severe physical damage. There have been many calls to stop the use of landmines in these conflict zones because they maim and kill, but the sexual violence that was used as a tool of war in has a far more damaging psychological effect on people.

We know it fairly well in Ireland and I am sure these stories are replicated around the country. Going back to the War of Independence, one often hears stories of Black and Tans who came in. These stories are very hush-hush; they are kept quiet and are not spoken about because there is still a stigma attached to them. I remember one man in particular and his story touched me. After a few drinks, the story would come out. He often lamented his grandmother who was assaulted by the Black and Tans in a farmyard.

The figures we see throughout the world are quite stark. I commend the motion which has the full support of this side of the House. I congratulate those who tabled it.