Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: Motion
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-12
============================================================

Anne Rabbitte (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

I move:
That Seanad Éireann: recognises that:
- domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a scourge on our society;
- we must work collectively to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in our communities, workplaces, political system, and in wider society;
- under Zero Tolerance: the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (Zero Tolerance strategy), there has been real, tangible progress across funding, legislation, prevention and victim support;
agrees that:
- there is a need for at least 280 refuge spaces across the country by the end of this year;
- any attempt by accommodation providers to exploit their position and prey on vulnerable individuals through so-called 'sex for rent arrangements' is completely unacceptable;
- robust protections must apply to the handling of victims’ counselling notes in the context of criminal trials;
- the killing of the guardian of a child raises clear concerns for the safety and welfare of that child;
- there is a need for greater transparency around serious sexual and violent offences;
- pornography is now highly accessible online;
- violent pornography is presenting a repulsive and distorted image of the ways boys and young men should behave in relationships;
notes that:
- the Zero Tolerance strategy includes a commitment to double the number of refuge spaces in the country by the end of 2026;
- currently in sexual assault trials, counselling notes are routinely being disclosed, causing distress and re-victimisation for the complainant;
- the Programme for Government commits to: criminalising those who seek sex in exchange for rent;
- examining proposals to remove guardianship rights from those convicted of killing their partners or a parent of their child;
- working with An Garda Síochána to ensure a person in an intimate relationship can be informed of a serious risk to them where a new partner has a history of domestic violence;
- non-fatal strangulation is now a dominant theme in online pornography;
- An Garda Síochána has cited non-fatal strangulation as a leading indicator of escalating violence in a relationship and a significant risk factor for homicide in women;
acknowledges that:
- the Government is committed to the full implementation of the Zero Tolerance strategy and to the actions in its final implementation plan;
- this action is supported by unprecedented funding of almost €80 million under Budget 2026;
- the Government is accelerating the delivery of safe accommodation;
- by the end of 2026, it is envisaged 94 safe homes and 193 refuge units will be completed, bringing total safe accommodation to 287, with 50 further refuge units under construction;
- comprehensive legislative reform is in train in areas including:
- criminalisation of seeking sex for rent;
- disclosure of counselling notes in sexual assault trials;
- removing guardianship rights of those convicted of killing partners;
- the establishment of a domestic violence register of judgments;
- the Government has committed to prioritising the online safety and protection of children during the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU;
calls for:
- the full implementation of the Zero Tolerance strategy;
- every county in Ireland to have at least one refuge within the lifetime of the Government;
- every county to have a minimum of two safe homes within the lifetime of the Government;
- the swift passage of the Criminal Law and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 through the Houses of the Oireachtas to criminalise those who seek sex for rent and to facilitate the reform of laws around disclosure of counselling notes in sexual offences trials;
- the swift passage of the Guardianship of Infants (Amendment) Bill 2026, known as Valerie’s Law, through the Houses of the Oireachtas;
- the swift passage of Criminal Justice (Domestic Violence Register) Bill 2026, known as Jennie’s Law, through the Houses of the Oireachtas;
- the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to work with An Garda Síochána to establish a domestic violence register of judgments and related disclosure scheme;
- the Government to use the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU to tackle the impact of violent pornography.
The Minister is very welcome. He is going to be a frequent visitor to the House this week.

---

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:55+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-12