Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for Justice and Equality for taking this matter. I am raising the issue of the second Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, SAVI, report which his Government has committed to, and which will investigate and survey the levels of sexual violence and abuse experienced by men and women in Ireland.

It has been 16 years since the first SAVI report was published in 2002, and in light of just how much our understanding of sexual violence has changed since then, it is high time we updated the State data and considered the issue and the realities on the ground once more.It has been 16 years since the first Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland, SAVI, report was published in 2002 and, in light of just how much our understanding of sexual violence has changed since then, it is high time we updated the State data and looked at the realities on the ground once more. Breda Allen, in the opening words of the 2002 SAVI report, stated that, "This is a groundbreaking study, the importance of which cannot be overestimated." These words have only grown truer in the past decade and a half, especially in light of recent developments in the #MeToo movement and the breaking of a powerful and shaming silence, allowing women to come forward and speak about the abuse of power and sexual harassment they have experienced.

The Minister will be aware that figures released this week from the Rape Crisis Centre showed an increase of 10% in the reporting of sexual crimes in the past year. However, even this increase is only part of the picture as we all know that huge numbers of sex crimes go unreported. The need for another SAVI report to give us an accurate picture on the ground of the experiences of survivors of sexual violence in this country is very important and I hope the Minister is able to confirm a timeline and details of how this will happen today.

We keep sharing our stories, baring our souls, laying ourselves bare for all to see. We risk questions and judgments and we hope that no one pokes away at the emotional scars our sexual assaults have left us with. I carried a shame that was not mine for five years before I told anyone what happened to me and I waited another three years before I went to the Rape Crisis Centre. I am not alone. Do not let the laying bare of all we have endured be for nothing.

For the last two weeks since I shared what happened to me on RTÉ, I have been inundated with hundreds of letters and mails from women and girls from every part of this island. Some sat in their sitting rooms with their families and as I said those words, "I was raped" they found themselves saying the same, for the very first time, in the seconds after I spoke. That is the power of sharing. The Minister has the ability and the resources to take those experiences and transform them into action.

Some people may never be able to speak to another person about their experience of sexual assault, much less a garda. However, just because people cannot report, does not mean they should be invisible. We need a survey that goes into communities, that can reach survivors in their own surroundings and translate their experiences, their pain in sharing that part of themselves into a better understanding of the realities of sexual violence, the barriers to accessing law enforcement, medical and therapeutic services for those abused and their families and how the State can do better and respond to these needs. That is what I am calling for today and I hope the Minister is able to share the steps he and his Department will be taking to start the second SAVI process and begin a better understanding and national conversation about sexual violence, survivors and their experiences. I thank the Minister.