Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Senators Horkan and Maria Byrne to the House. It is great to have new colleagues.

Today, I am wearing purple for Go Purple Day, to raise awareness of domestic violence. I ask all colleagues to text "SAFE" to 50300 to support this cause. I have often raised in the House the issue of gender-based violence and called for a debate on how the Government can make this country a really safe place for women, girls, families and children to grow up and live in. We need an interdepartmental task force on gender-based violence. We need integrated, survivor-focused policies and services, and sustainable and thriving local services. We need to look at how we can intervene to prevent such violence and create proper strategies around that.

I thank Safe Ireland and commend it on all its incredible work. Everybody should look on its website and read the policies for eradicating domestic violence in this country. I applaud Women's Aid Dundalk, with which I work very closely, for the incredible work it does, particularly over the past 15 months of the Covid crisis. The people in the organisation had to change how they work with the people who come to them for help. They had to restructure everything, and they did so undaunted and remaining absolutely focused on their goal, which is to help women and children who are going through domestic violence. They work on a shoestring, stretching their budget to the very best of their ability. I urge all Senators today to support Safe Ireland's Go Purple Day.