Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is welcome to the House and I congratulate her on her appointment. It is very important that we have this debate. It has been called for by many of us in the House since the start of this Seanad.

I am very proud to be part of Dundalk Women's Aid. It is one of 39 Safe Ireland domestic violence member services across the country. It does tremendous work against all odds. It is under-resourced, under-staffed and under-valued by many. The importance of organisations like these is often not understood. They are on the front line, trying to hold things together.

This pandemic has highlighted the scourge of domestic violence. However, the increase in the number of victims of domestic violence during the past few months is frightening. We must not overlook that these women and children were more than likely victims before the pandemic. It might just have got so bad they could not cope anymore. They feared for their lives or the lives of their children during the intensity of the lockdown. Domestic abuse and coercive control are the most under-reported, undocumented, unprosecuted crimes in the country and, depressingly, domestic and gender-based violence is a growing problem which must be addressed. It is an abuse that not only can cause physical hurt but emotional turmoil that lasts an entire lifetime. It can send a victim into the most darkest, loneliest, isolated of places. Violence against women remains widespread in every community, across every background and everywhere we look there is more than likely a victim. This has devastating consequences for women, society and it also has a rippling effect on generations afterwards.

There have been many positives in recent years.The Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 introduced a wider range of special measures and other rights and protections for victims of these crimes. These and other developments, such as Operation Faoiseamh, to assist the victims of domestic violence are all extremely welcome. They have already had a hugely positive effect on victims' experiences of the criminal justice system but more must be done. We can make this the safest country for women if we act.

As the Minister said, this is timely. The Minister's move on the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Bill 2017 is so important. I will not say too much on that today because I want to concentrate on domestic violence but we need to protect our citizens. Prevention is better than cure. Creeps share these sexualised photos because they can. They abuse and harass women because they can and as a society, we need to stand up for what is right and stop allowing abusers to use women's bodies against them.

The Government needs to focus on areas where an inter-agency approach has the potential to be most effective. We need the Government to ensure the Minister has the reach, responsibility and resources to ensure there is an active and co-ordinated approach from all Government Departments, showing real leadership to work together to transform the statutory, professional and community-based services and supports that women need. We need a complete national infrastructure which is fit for purpose. By putting in place laws to deter domestic violence, by putting in place infrastructure and supports to empower victims to get out of abusive relationships and by putting the victim front and centre of all acts of legislation and policy, we can stop this. We need society to shame the perpetrator and not the victim. It is not the victim's mistake but the abuser's crime.

We are coming into the Christmas season, which, as Senator Gallagher mentioned, is a difficult time for many people. Our homes should be our castles and where we have fun and love but that is not the case when one is living in a domestic violence situation. Christmas will cause an awful lot of hurt, fear and, unfortunately, violence for many families and victims of domestic violence. We have to make sure that support is out there and that organisations such as Women's Aid and An Garda Síochána are there for victims.