Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)

They often say that a watershed moment is something that is truly life-changing, something that defines a period or event, a turning point, a starting point, an ending point, that it is change. How many times have we heard of a watershed moment when it comes to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence? If these past few weeks have shown us anything it is that we have not found the solution to the epidemic of sexual and gender-based violence in this country, and the sad reality is that no country has. That leaves us all asking how many more times there needs to be a watershed moment. How many more women and men need to waive their right to privacy to put a face to a crime? How many more women need to become household names? That is especially stark since only 5% of those who experience sexual violence have reported it. Many of those who do not report it bear the weight alone in isolation. They may feel shame or guilt, they may want to hide from it. They do not want to acknowledge their pain even though that may mean not identifying their perpetrator. As a woman, it is utterly depressing to come into this Chamber yet again to discuss this topic yet again. I spoke on this when Ashling Murphy was brutally murdered two and a half years ago. Since then, Women's Aid has revealed that there were 40,000 reports of abuse in 2023 and a 20% increase on 2022. That is because more women are speaking out and that is a good thing. They are refusing to bear the weight of this alone in isolation. They do not want to hide. They want their abusers identified.

We have had Natasha O'Brien in the Gallery after her brutal attack at the hands of an Irish soldier. We know this story. All she was doing was standing up for herself and for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. We got the chance to meet Natasha last week and commend her on her bravery in person. I am relieved that the Director of Public Prosecutions has lodged an appeal. Bláthnaid Raleigh recently waived her right to remain anonymous following her attack five years ago. She was forced to watch her attacker live a completely normal life like nothing had ever happened, whereas she retreated from life. Her right to a normal existence was taken away from her and she suffered alone in isolation for many years. The sad reality is that it is often the victim who suffers when it comes to domestic and gender-based violence. We know from CSO statistics that seven out of ten times, the victim probably knows the perpetrator. We are all tired of this. We are all sick and tired of these stories, of the horror stories. We are sickened by the experience of victims in courtrooms and the betrayal of victims' confidence and trust in the system and in the structures that are meant to be there to help them recover from trauma, not retraumatise them. It is not right that counselling notes, people's innermost thoughts and fears, can be used in a courtroom against them when they are the victim. That is wrong and it has to stop. I welcome the news that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, has committed to changing this so that rape survivors' counselling notes will not be used in evidence in criminal trials. The Minister has also brought in Coco's law to stop the sharing of intimate images without consent.

That is really important. The Minister, Deputy Helen McEntee, has been unapologetic in her approach to tackling this. She has opened Cuan, a dedicated agency that will deliver a zero-tolerance strategy across society for all forms of abuse. We want to make more refuge spaces available, and that is happening. In my area, Saoirse Women's Refuge is providing outreach services for women who need it.

The Minister has introduced legislation that creates new stand-alone offences of non-fatal strangulation and stalking. She has doubled the maximum penalty for assault causing harm to ten years. She has introduced tougher laws for monitoring sex offenders in the community, with the Sex Offenders (Amendment) Act 2023, and has provided funding to service providers at a level that has risen dramatically, from €20 million a year to €59 million a year, and I know that figure will continue rise on her watch.

We need action and change. That starts in homes, classrooms, workplaces, WhatsApp group chats and the content we watch every day with our friends and families. The Minister's plans are all based on improving prevention, protection and the pursuance of policies in this area. That is the only way to tackle this from every angle and in every way. What the Minister is doing is having a real impact. We are talking about policies, budgets and laws. We are talking change. This has to be what unites us all, namely, our desire to deliver change in this really important issue.

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