Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for taking this important matter. I thank the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State for their work and commitment in this area. So much has been done on gender-based violence, especially towards women. I am grateful for all the work they have done and I am grateful that it is a priority. It has been spoken about a great deal in both Houses in recent times.

Senators will be aware that many victims of gender-based crime find it difficult to report it when something happens. I have found this is especially true if there is a language barrier. I have been working with a company in Limerick that worked with the Department of Justice when it was part of the EU inHERE project, on the basis of which it developed its continuous professional development, CPD, accredited training for interpreters. So many interpreters are coming to Ireland. With refugees coming here as well, we are going to have to depend so much on people being able to break down the language barrier. While some of the refugees who will come here will have English, not all of them will. As a result, the matter I raise is important. Women's Aid reported that calls from non-English speakers through its multi-language helpline increased by 90% in 2020 in comparison with 2019. That is a big increase. Of all of the minority groups who sought help from Women's Aid, 93% were migrant women, which is a very high number. Apart from Women's Aid, many other Irish organisations deal with non-native English speakers in the context of sexual violence.

I look forward to hearing what the Minister of State has to say. This is an issue which needs to be highlighted more.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important matter regarding the commitment relating to the barriers facing non-fluent English speakers reporting sexual or gender-based violence. The Senator has been very much to the forefront on this matter, not only in this Chamber but also behind the scenes in working with the Department of Justice, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and other Departments. The Minister is determined to do everything she can to combat all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. This has been a priority area for the Minister since taking up this post and she has the full support of the Government.

Becoming the victim of any kind of crime can be a deeply traumatic experience. This is especially true in the context of offences linked to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. It can be incredibly daunting to enter a Garda station or criminal court for the first time. This can be intensified for the members of marginalised communities, particularly when barriers such as language and-or feelings of disenfranchisement may exist. The Department of Justice is working on a number of initiatives to support victims in order that when they engage with the system, they will know what to expect, what their legally enforceable rights are and what supports are available at every step in the process. Language or any other barrier should not get in the way of this.

The Department is in the process of developing actions to reach all communities in Ireland, including translating the posters and leaflets used to raise awareness of rights under the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act 2017 into other languages commonly spoken among Ireland's immigrant communities. This year, the Department will launch two campaigns, in partnership with the Dormant Accounts Fund, expanding awareness-raising activities of victims' rights and on the topic of consent to reach marginalised communities. The Department will do this by working with community organisations to adapt various assets and resources in culturally appropriate ways. I know An Garda Síochána is very aware of the difficulty language barriers can present when someone is seeking justice. If someone who is not fluent in English or Irish presents to gardaí, a free interpreter service will be provided in order that the person will receive the same quality of service, as far as possible, as any other victim of crime. An Garda Síochána's victim information booklet is currently available in 39 different languages, as well as in braille and audio versions. The Legal Aid Board provides a free legal advice service to victims of human trafficking and complainants in rape and certain sexual assault cases, which can include interpretative services where required. Interpretation is provided in criminal cases if directed by the court. The Department of Justice has also put in place victims of domestic violence immigration guidelines. The guidelines rightly state that no one should have to suffer domestic violence and recognise that migrants may have additional vulnerability in this area, as the perpetrator may threaten a victim with the loss of their status if they report the abuse.

Support services also do incredible work in trying to support people whose first language is not English. Women's Aid, which runs the national domestic violence helpline, offers a telephone interpretation service facility that covers 200 languages for callers needing support in their own language. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre provides similar on its national sexual violence helpline.

I thank the Senator for raising this important topic and I reassure her that it is a focus for the Government. While there are services in place to support non-fluent English speakers in reporting domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, the Minister is committed to increasing the supports available to better support this particularly vulnerable group. At the end of last year, on foot of a mapping exercise carried out by the Department, the Minister made additional funding available to 18 organisations that support victims of domestic and sexual violence. This was provided to address gaps identified both in terms of the geographical availability of services and in services provided for specific categories of victims. The Department will be keeping this under review and will fill any future gaps identified in order that all victims in every part of the country will receive the supports they need to access the justice they deserve.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for that detailed response. Translit in Limerick provides a training course for many interpreters in the context of the sensitive nature of this issue, and it is my understanding that it is the only company that does training in this regard. The Minister of State indicated that the Department is keeping this matter under review and is looking at different ideas. There are organisations like Women's Aid, the Mid-West Rape Crisis Centre and many others to which women can turn for help. However, if people are to be interpreters, they need training, which is something the Minister of State might take back to the Minister. It is such a sensitive area that interpreters have to be taught how to handle it in a very sensitive way in order to make people feel comfortable about reporting.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I again thank the Senator for raising this very important matter. I hear her point in regard to how sensitive these issues are. Those dealing with very vulnerable people need to understand how to deal with those situations in a very sensitive manner.

As the Senator will be aware, the Minister is leading on the development of a new whole-of-government strategy to combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The goal of the strategy is zero tolerance for violence against women, and it recognises that added vulnerability of certain groups of women, including women in marginalised communities and migrant women. Separately, the Minister continues to work to implement all 52 recommendations of the O'Malley review, which looked at the journey a victim faces from the moment a crime is committed against them, to the initial reporting of the offence and right through to the end of any court proceedings and beyond. Their implementation will make our criminal justice system one that protects and supports vulnerable victims.

These initiatives include a campaign to raise awareness of the rights afforded to people under the victims of crime Act of 2017. This will include information being translated into a number of languages outside Irish and English that are commonly spoken in Ireland. The Department of Justice will soon be inviting partners to a newly established victims forum for State, social and community groups, including groups working for and representative of marginalised communities. The University of Limerick has been tasked with developing the framework for the operation and training of intermediaries who will partially facilitate communication with vulnerable people in the justice system in order to provide the best evidence possible. A nationwide roll-out of the divisional protective service units has been completed to ensure victims of sexual violence are met with respect, professionalism and compassion.

I again thank the Senator for raising this important topic. I reassure her that this is a priority focus for the Government.