Rose Conway Walsh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I want to speak about legislation introduced by my colleagues, Deputies Mary Lou McDonald and Maurice Quinlivan, last week in collaboration with Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service, Safe Ireland and SIPTU. I refer to the Organisation of Working Time (Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2019, which is important legislation. It seeks to provide ten days paid domestic violence leave to women and men leaving abusive relationships. In 2017, the European Institute for Gender Equality estimated that intimate partner violence against women cost EU member states €109 billion each year. That is in terms of mental health services, social services, civil legal costs, criminal justice, employment, housing and human and emotional costs. Such legislation is in place in New Zealand, Canada, the Philippines and other jurisdictions. It is long overdue here, as women experiencing domestic violence have high rates of absenteeism from work. The legislation needs to be underpinned by solid policy on domestic violence and sexual violence so that we can create a safe place and a supportive workplace for employees experiencing or at risk of domestic violence.

The policy, therefore, can contribute more to job security, economic opportunities, independence and greater chances for abused women and men to abandon their abusive relationships by facilitating the paid leave. It will enable the person experiencing the abuse to take time out of work to put in place safeguards to keep themselves and their families safe without having to worry about losing a day's pay, being forced to take annual leave, being penalised, reprimanded or risk losing their position within an organisation. I would ask all parties to support this legislation to get it implemented as soon as possible. Domestic violence impacts on an employee's performance at work resulting in lost hours and less productivity. I would encourage all workplaces, and we should have it in the Oireachtas also, to put in place a policy of disclosure where there is a level of training for people that if a disclosure of domestic violence is made they know to deal with it in a way that encourages more women and men to come forward. Unfortunately, I am coming across more and more men who are experiencing domestic abuse. I have worked in this area for a long time. I welcome the fact that more men are coming forward but sometimes I feel they are ignored in the conversation. Everybody is entitled to feel safe in their own home, which is what we are trying to achieve with this legislation.