Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire freisin. I welcome what the Minister has outlined. I know there was more to come in that speech but time constraints are such that we could not hear it all.

The strategy the Government has to deal with domestic and gender-based violence is tremendously important. I welcome, for example, the suggestion that there will be a dedicated agency in this regard and I welcome all of the other matters, which I will not go through again.

The difficulty for me, as justice spokesperson for Fine Gael, in standing up here is that I am a man, and I do not think I can possibly understand the vulnerability that my female counterparts feel when they walk through town at night, when they walk home alone, or whenever it might be. I hear that from friends and family members. There is a unique vulnerability that comes with being a woman, not because women are weak but because women are targeted, and there can be no doubt about that. There is an attitude out there that says that, somehow, it is okay or acceptable to attack, abuse, wolf-whistle or catcall at women in society, or worse. That is something that starts from the micro-aggressions of everything from the sexist jokes and the simple misogyny that we hear, which moves on to psychological abuse, verbal abuse and up to violence and worse. The Minister referred to a social and cultural context we have to tackle – every one of us, as an individual and as a citizen.It stems from a notion in society that women are somehow disposable. I am afraid that is something that has taken a grip over generations in Ireland. Even this week we have been talking about mother and baby homes, which was a form of violence that stemmed from a belief that women are somehow disposable. Unfortunately, it has manifested itself in a range of events, shameful histories, in Irish society.

I welcome that the Government is coming to grips with that through the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister, Deputy McEntee. We often see this kind of violence in the context of a domestic situation. Through my professional experience, I have dealt with many cases involving domestic violence. It is really insidious because it does not just affect the victim of that violence, but it also affects the perpetrator, whether he - it is invariably a man - realises it or not. It affects the families. It affects children who witness it. It affects wider family, friends and social groups. It is absolutely insidious and incredibly damaging. Therefore, it is appropriate for us to take stock of it and make a concerted effort to deal with it.

The Minister made reference to violence that takes place online. He quoted The Sunday Timesregarding how social media has now given a voice. Certain social media platforms are really toxic places for that kind of speech and the opinions that come out of it. It manifests itself in many other areas. It does so online as well as in domestic circumstances, but it also happens in public on the street and in other areas at night. We heard this week about how nurses, most of them women, are being abused as they go into work in our hospitals to look after our friends and family members to care for our people. This is such a serious problem that some of them now do not want to go to work, as if we did not have enough difficulty trying to provide healthcare for all sectors of society. That is something the Garda needs to address.

Earlier this week I appeared on an RTÉ television programme with Katie Hannon at which a brave young woman in the audience, called Varsha, raised what she considered to be a racial attack. The reality is that she was talking about a group of people - herself and her friends, all of whom were women - who were attacked on the Luas by a number of teenage boys. I cannot help thinking that if they were all big men, they would not have been attacked by the teenage boys. I presume that the fact that they are women had something to do with it. The worst thing about it is that she reported it to the Garda and nothing seems to have been done about it. We must all take responsibility for dealing with gender-based and targeted violence like that.

When she was on the Luas, there were other people on the tram. Other ordinary people who were not involved in the violence clearly did not step in. These young people, who seem to think it is okay to do this, meted out their violence and their abuse against these young women. She is from Navan but is ethnically diverse from the traditional Irish person. When they meted out that abuse, it seems that nobody stepped in. If we want to put a stop to this, every one of us must take responsibility for putting a stop to it. Every one of us needs to call out the micro aggressions. Every one of us must step in when we see abuse or violence. If we feel we cannot step in, which is also legitimate, we need to call the Garda or call people who can step in and can stop it. If we do not accept responsibility and accept that we have a role to play in stopping it, it will never stop because this burden falls on all of us.

When these incidents are reported to the Garda, something must be done. I know we have had problems with 999 calls. I hope and believe those problems have been addressed. The young woman who raised this issue on Monday night reported to the Garda what had happened on a Luas tram where there are multiple CCTV cameras to capture the images - she has images herself - but it seems nothing is being done about it. If people who are the victims of domestic or gender-based violence do not have confidence that the Garda will do something about it when it is reported, they will stop reporting it and the problem will continue to exist at a sub-social level. That cannot happen.

I appreciate everything the Minister has said about the divisional units to target these specific areas and I know of them in my area also. I also appreciate what he said about refuges. For a long time Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council was the only local authority without one. I know that has also been addressed. That is welcome. Key to this is an understanding by people who are the victims of violence that when they report it, they will be taken seriously and serious action will be taken.