Speaking in the lead-up to her party’s motion on gender-based violence will be debated in the Dáil today, Wednesday the 19th January, Sinn Féin TD for Clare Violet-Anne Wynne has called for great strides to be taken to tackle violence against women.
The State is set to publish its 3rd National Strategy against Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence later this year.
Responding to events that have unfolded in 2022 so far, including the death of Ashling Murphy and the attack of Alanna Idris Quinn in Dublin, Teachta Wynne said:
“It’s high-time for the Government to take seriously the issue at hand.
“Unfortunately, another young woman has lost her life last week while another female teenager brutally attacked the week prior.
“These incidences are not unrelated as both are the result of a lack of preventative measures taken by the Government to tackle violence against women.
“The National Women’s Council, as well as local women’s networks and activists are mobilising and there is a common sense that this needs to be the last time. These tragedies need to be the beginning of the end to violence against women being so prevalent in our society.
“I am calling on the Department of CEDIY to accelerate the publication of the third national strategy and furthermore, for there to be a stronger implementation action group to make real its provisions than has existed for the first two strategies.
“I am also very glad Sinn Féin are bringing forward this necessary and critical motion.
“We are calling on the Government to establish a domestic, sexual and gender-based violence policy and service implementation unit within the Department of the Taoiseach.
“We are also calling for the introduction of independent multi-agency domestic homicide reviews underpinned in legislation similar to that in place in the North.
“Sinn Féin support the implementation of a national database on domestic, sexual, gender based violence and for the Department of Justice to expedite the Sexual Violence Survey which is not due to be completed until 2023.
“We need to change the culture and greater strides need to be taken to prevent these tragedies from happening. This needs to be a watershed moment.”
