Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not think I have ever hit the target. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I welcome the progression of this Bill, which contains a number of important provisions regarding sexual offences and human trafficking. I acknowledge the hard work of a number of campaigners, including Women of Honour. I also acknowledge the many victims who have waived their right to anonymity in sexual violence cases in an effort to encourage others to come forward as well. Some of the recommendations have come as a result of their bravely. This long overdue Bill will include a number of significant reforms. I pay tribute to their determination in ensuring that we have better justice.

I also wish to speak on the O’Malley recommendations. I welcome the fact we will see the implementation of the O’Malley review recommendations. The strengthening of victims’ rights is not only welcome but long overdue. My colleagues, Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Martin Kenny, introduced a Private Members’ Bill in 2019. It has been a long four years in which families saw their loved one’s names become hashtags and headlines; four years in which men – it is mostly men – inflicted unspeakable harm; and four years in which women – it is mostly women – suffered not only in those attacks but in their subsequent experiences in an often retraumatising legal system.

I also welcome the fact that this legislation, on foot of the recommendations of the independent review group's report on dignity and equality in the Defence Forces, proposes the amendment of the Defence Act 1954. Too many men still fear the stigma of sexual violence and it is certainly the case in respect of what has been shared by men regarding their time in the Defence Forces. The suspicion of homosexuality once carried its own stigma and was even a criminal offence in my lifetime. I therefore welcome the fact that men are starting to disclose their experiences, and I take the opportunity to tell men in that position to come forward. They will not just be heard, they will be listened to.

This Bill puts the national referral mechanism for human trafficking on a statutory footing as well. Sinn Féin has long supported anti-human trafficking measures. There was criticism of the State recently from bodies such as the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which pointed out the lack of a compensation mechanism for victims as well as a national referral mechanism. It is complicated but it is an area in which we must continue to make strides as well as acknowledging the wider socioeconomic pressures that lead people to fall victim of human trafficking. A good migration policy will mitigate this also.

I hope this Bill will bring us closer to a situation where all victims of sexual violence will get better access to justice. However, it is just one step of many that must be taken on this road. I hope the Minister of State will work with us in Sinn Féin to ensure the next steps are taken quickly.

I thank the Minister of State for bringing the Bill to the House and I thank the Acting Chair for the time.