Violence against Women: Statements (Resumed)
Dail Éireann — 2022-01-25
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Joe Flaherty (FF), Longford-Westmeath

The brutal murder of Ashling Murphy shook this country to its core. It was a callous taking of a young life. It behoves us as legislators and as a society to ensure we act now and act decisively to address the deficiencies in the supports for women at risk of violence. What shocked most people was that Ashling was murdered in the early evening on the banks of a canal in a small provincial town. It was not the stereotypical location for a violent murder, but perpetrators of violence against women know no geographical boundaries. The threats are just as real in rural Ireland as they are in large towns and cities.
In County Longford, we are very fortunate that Longford Women's Link has managed a dedicated a domestic violence support service since 1995. Last year, it dealt with 400 women and children and a similar number in the previous year. I acknowledge the ongoing support of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, for the service and her recent statements of intent on the issue of gender violence. If we want to do right by Ashling Murphy's memory, we need to address the inadequacies and shortcomings in the service. Arguably, the biggest issues include the lack of safe accommodation. Not only are refuges needed but also appropriate and secure housing is also needed into the future. In rural areas, transport to access domestic violence support is a huge problem. Obviously, women cannot bring their children with them when they go to the Garda station to make a report and, equally, childminding is as big an issue.
We need to build local networks using services and local knowledge to create an holistic structure to support women and children. In other words, we need to build a one-stop shop structure so that women do not have to access multiple points for support. One of the significant issues arising from Covid is that we are expecting more women to come forward who have been unable to do so until now. People who have experienced intense trauma during the past two years, but have not accessed any services, will need highly specialised support.
It would be a key contributor to a suitable memorial for the late Ashling Murphy if we could say in 12 months' time that we have enhanced and improved domestic violence support services across this country. Anything less than that and we will do Ashling and the grief of a nation a serious disservice.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2022-01-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:50:01+00:00
Sitting date: 2022-01-25