Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for that update. Let me just say this: Tori is not, as the Taoiseach says, a criminal. She is, in fact, a victim. Our first concern is to get Tori home safely, and that must happen immediately. These charges must be dropped and Tori and her mother Caroline must be allowed to travel home freely and unimpeded to Ireland and to Roscommon. That is the call from this Chamber today. I hope the authorities and the royalty in Dubai are listening very carefully to this message. This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable on any level. It is not acceptable for any woman. We are not objects. We are not chattel. We are not the possession of anybody. Our human rights matter and our safety matters. The safety of every Irish woman and every Irish citizen matters to us. We will not tolerate this situation. The Taoiseach agrees with me on that. I am glad that the contact with the embassy is so strong. That needs to continue. Every support, including a legal representative to act as an interlocutor with the authorities, needs to be firmed up for Tori. That is the bottom line.

Perhaps the ambassador from Dubai watches Oireachtas TV or RTÉ. There is no ambiguity in the point. We want Tori home and we want the charges dropped today. We want herself and Caroline to make their way back. The wider issue regarding the treatment of women and the abuse of our human rights in jurisdictions such as this also needs to be on our diplomatic agenda very firmly.

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