An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Seanad Éireann — 2025-11-25
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Maria McCormack (SF), Labour Panel

I commend Senator Clonan on his work on safeguarding legislation and he will have our full support on that. Safeguarding legislation has never been more relevant.
Today is an immensely important day, as other Senators have said. It is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a day when we stand together and say that women and girls deserve safety, dignity and justice. Orange is the colour that represents this worldwide. Today, my party colleague, Deputy Matt Carthy, will bring forward for debate the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill in the Dáil. This is really simple legislation but its impact will be enormous. Sometimes the simplest changes are the ones that transform lives, and this Bill is exactly that. It is a straightforward, compassionate measure that finally gives survivors the protection they should always have had.
It is hard to believe that in 2025, this is not available to a victim. I am delighted to have three extraordinary survivors with me today in the Gallery, Sonya Stokes, Leona O'Callaghan and Shaneda Daly. Their presence reminds us of exactly who we are fighting for when it comes to this Bill. These women have taken their pain, trauma and years of fear and turned them into power. They have turned it into change. I am so proud of them, of their courage and leadership, and am deeply grateful that they have trusted me with their stories. Sonya shared something this morning, saying that for survivors, the fear never stopped at the court date. They lived unheard, unprotected and terrified.
This is the reality of the current law. Under the 2023 Act, survivors of sexual violence cannot apply for a civil protection order. There is no legal mechanism to stop a convicted abuser from contacting them after their release. This is a really cruel gap in our law and the Bill finally closes it. Shaneda Daly said that this Bill will be empowering for future victims; those who have already been through enough deserve to feel safe. Leona O'Callaghan, who has shown extraordinary courage, said that by speaking out, they put themselves in the firing line for revenge from their perpetrators. They do it so that their kids will be safer, but once they take that risk, they deserve to know that when the perpetrator is released, they will have some level of safety. That is the truth. That is the cost survivors pay for speaking out and that is why this Bill cannot wait.
Today I am asking every Senator here to speak to their colleagues in the Dáil and urge them to stand with survivors, to stand with Sonya, Leona and Shaneda, and to ask all the TDs in their parties to support this Bill. Survivors cannot wait any longer. Let me be absolutely clear: this Bill is only the beginning. Sinn Féin will continue to stand with survivors. We will continue to protect survivors. Today is the start of something better and survivors will never stand alone again.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-11-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:21+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-11-25