Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)

My colleague, Senator O'Loughlin, mentioned Women's Aid. It is frightening to see the report today that 32,000 women have contacted Women's Aid in the past year. That is the highest number ever, and it seems it is continuing to climb. One in three women was being abused by her ex-partner. Behind the number are terrified and isolated women, lost pregnancies and isolated lives. There are also children growing up afraid. I previously spoke about the issue in the House. It shows that abuse does not always end when a relationship ends. For many women, the fear seems to deepen and they are stalked, threatened and controlled. Over 44% say that the response they got from the Garda was not helpful. That is certainly not a flaw but a failure in the system.

Three years ago, as we have mentioned previously in the House, the nation was shaken by the murder of Ashling Murphy, a woman who had her whole life ahead of her. We all hoped it would be a pivotal moment whereby there would be lasting change in this area. The truth is difficult. Women seem no safer now than they were on the day that Ashling died.

We need to act. We need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of male violence against women. Not only that, gardaí need proper and consistent training. Protection orders need to be enforced and women's refuges must be properly funded. The court delays in respect of this sort of violence need to end.

We must also talk about the digital world. Abuse seems to continue online and laws need to be introduced in that regard. It is not about charity; it is about our responsibility to the women of Ireland. They and their children deserve safety not next year or eventually but now.