Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Monday morning I had the opportunity to visit the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street for the launch of a detailed report on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, LGBT, victims and survivors of sexual violence and disclosures in Rape Crisis Centres across the State. The report is entitled Finding a Safe Place and was undertaken by Rape Crisis Network Ireland, alongside the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network and Gay Switchboard Ireland. Importantly, it outlined the layers of discrimination and vulnerability faced by victims and survivors of sexual violence coming forward to tell their stories. All victims face those barriers but this is diligently recorded information. For example, 47% of LGBT victims of sexual violence wait ten years to come forward, as opposed to 21% of heterosexual victims of sexual violence. That information is really important in forming our work as politicians and political representatives, activists and, importantly, legislators.

The information is reliant on the work of Rape Crisis Network Ireland, which faced cuts of 70% over the past number of years. Our public policy should be dependent on hearing the voices of the marginalised, as those voices place their trust in these Rape Crisis Centres that have borne the brunt of cuts to the network in Ireland. The Departments relating to justice and the environment fund the group and we should request the presence of the relevant Minister in order to detail the plans and what I hope are priorities in the restoration of funding to the group. I ask the relevant Minister to issue support and state the priorities relating to victims and survivors of sexual violence.