Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have just come from the launch of a report by the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on public perceptions of sexual violence. It is research that was carried out in recent months. Some of the indications are positive. People believe that sexual violence is extremely common and are very concerned about it. The report pointed out that 85% of men say they feel safe while only 48% of women do. Most still believe that sexual violence is common for women. In reality, one in two women and one in four men will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. A certain level of victim blaming still exists. For example, if a female victim has been drinking or has taken drugs and is raped or assaulted, many still believe she is partly responsible for the rape. The attitude among younger men, that is, men under 24 years of age, is concerning in that they believe more in victim blaming and tend to believe a victim only if they report their case to the Garda. Astonishingly, over 70% of cases are not reported to the Garda, and that is because people feel they will not be believed or there is a stigma attached.

Can the Minister for Justice be invited to the Chamber for a debate on issues concerning sexual violence in general and on the findings of this report? We need to increase public awareness of the support services available because many survivors do not access any support. We also need to have education on consent, and not just within schools. Every parent has a responsibility to talk to their young teenagers in particular about consent. Society at large has a responsibility as well. We need to address the barriers to reporting and why so many do not report the crime. The courts system puts people off reporting because courts can take years to come to a conclusion on issues like this. People feel they will be dragged through the courts and so do not report it. I would appreciate it if we could have that debate.