Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I second the Sinn Féin amendment.

For many years violence in the home was seen as something that was nobody's business; it was a private matter between a man and his wife. What happened in the home stayed in the home. The blame game culture of blaming the woman who is actually the victim became too commonplace. As mentioned, there were questions as to what she had done, that she must have brought it on herself, she was nagging him, she must have provoked him, there was something going on, there was a reason. This was a very dangerous thread in Irish society and it is necessary that we move beyond it. It still baffles me that if I were to be assaulted on the street on a Friday night I would get better legal protection from my abuser than would a person abused in the home on the same night. I reiterate the point that was made and also referred to in the motion, which I cannot emphasise enough, namely, that the lack of access to emergency protection is a considerable issue for women, especially when the courts are not sitting. Many women's shelters and aid groups will report specifically that weekends are particularly problematic and that many women are abused on a Friday evening, for example, with the abuser safe in the knowledge there will be no court open nor any possible intervention for some days. That is very worrying, and is a frightening set of circumstances for those being abused.

Like Senator Ó Clochartaigh, when I was doing some research for this motion, I looked at local statistics and the accommodation status of new service users. What we find is a very high number of service users staying in the abusive relationship, which is worrying. We have to wonder if this is because there is no greater protection for the women. Do we believe the violence was a once-off instance? It is very worrying.

There are ongoing issues in terms of habitual residency problems for non-Irish nationals and those Irish people who return home after spending a period abroad. There are financial barriers in regard to living in rented accommodation without financial support for at least six months before becoming entitled to rent allowance. There is the issue of leaving the family home. If a person's name is on the deeds there is no entitlement to go on the local authority housing list. In addition, there is the ongoing threat of cutbacks and the impending publication of the review of domestic violence nationally, and what that will mean for services in the future. Senators mentioned that Sonas Housing Associaton reported that four of every five women seeking refuge have been refused because of the chronic shortage of emergency accommodation. We are not meeting European standards in terms of the necessary refuge places required, which is very worrying.

There is a story I would like to put into the debate regarding how we need to change societal attitudes and how this can start with public figures. Last year a rapper, Chris Brown, was to play in the O2 and an Irish band, The Original Rudeboys, was asked to support him. The band refused to do so because of his background of assault on his then girlfriend. The band's album features a song, Blue Eyes, which is about domestic violence. When asked to comment on why the band would not support Chris Barry at the venue, which would have been a huge gig for it, band member Sean Walsh said, "Domestic violence goes against everything we are about as a band. Supporting Chris Brown would send out the wrong message to our fans". Statements of this kind chip away at the old ingrained notions of domestic violence that are embedded in communities the world over. It is only when we take a no-tolerance approach and see it illustrated by prominent members of society that we will start to stamp such violence out for good.

I will follow up on some points made by Senator Ó Clochartaigh which refer to the motion and its call on the need for SAVI to issue a new report. SAVI, the Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, made a report which was vitally important at the time as it offered a baseline measure and gave us an evidence base for policy decisions and approaches. However, the report is now 11 years old, has become very dated and is rapidly dating further. Statistically, evidentially and policywise it needs to be updated so that we can have a clear picture on which to make evidence based policy decisions in this whole area. A report into the economic costs of domestic violence in Ireland, similar to studies in the UK, could also be considered as a useful measure to cost such behaviour throughout the State, reveal the amount of health care and policing time taken up in dealing with the situation and indicate whether preventive measures would be a far more economical way of using the State's resources in this regard.

I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. It is important that we put these issues out into the public domain and talk about them, and that, rightly, we try to chip away at the ingrained notions that exist. As Senator Ó Clochartaigh stated, we support the motion but believe it needs more debate which is why we tabled our amendment. I hope other Senators will also support it.