Róisín Garvey (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I second the motion. I will keep this very simple. There were 54,000 call-outs to Garda stations last year for domestic violence. There were 10,000 barring orders, restricting movement, obtained in domestic violence cases, 5,000 of which were breached, and only 500 convictions were secured. We have a huge issue. The Minister is probably well aware of this, so I will not preach to the converted. This legislation will do three things. I will quote the great woman we had in today from Women's Aid, Sarah Benson. She said it will increase protection for victims and it will help victims on this harrowing journey that they have to go through when it comes to dealing with domestic violence. Victims are stuck in a place and they feel there is no way out. If they have made that amazingly brave step to make the call in the first place or get a barring order, we need to show them that the courts take this seriously. There should be a higher penalty than there is at the moment, of up to five years' imprisonment at the discretion of the District Court or the DPP. It is hugely important for me, as a woman. The rate of domestic violence against men is increasing, but we know that the majority of the violence is against women. If we are looking for equality in society in 2024, this Bill should be passed as soon as possible. It will send a clear message to the women of Ireland to not be afraid, to get the help they need and to put their hand up. It will send a clear message that there are better options out there and we support them in that. We would like to see this Bill passed. We want to see the people who breach barring orders being dealt with more seriously. Currently, the breach rate is 50%, which means that the offenders are not influenced by the outcomes of breaching barring orders. We need to change that.