Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú)

I support the Bill and the amendment. I commend Senator Ryan on her powerful testimony. The report from Women's Aid makes for difficult reading. More women contacted the organisation last year than ever before. I have been reading the details of the report and they are shocking. I agree with this amendment in that if children are present that factor should be considered when the sentence is being decided. Well done to Senator Ryan. The report from Women's Aid talks about women who have experienced miscarriages as a result of the domestic abuse inflicted on them. It talks about hyper-vigilance, just as Senator Ryan did, and homelessness arising from the abuse. A third of all the women abused were abused by an ex-partner. More were subjected to surveillance and weapons. In some cases, women were threatened with the lives of their children by their abuser. That is evil. The report also stated that approximately 40 women said they did not have a positive experience with An Garda Síochána. This is also shocking. We know how hard it is to escape abuse, talk to authorities and seek help. This needs to be addressed. People talk about having zero tolerance for domestic violence but at the moment we are tolerating this abuse. Aontú wants to see increased sentencing and mandatory minimum sentences for those who threaten their victims with the lives of their children or who abuse a woman to the extent that she miscarries. I support the amendment.