Carthy calls for Domestic Violence Refuges for Cavan and Monaghan
Sinn Féin TD, Matt Carthy, has called for the urgent provision of emergency accommodation for Domestic violence victims in counties Cavan and Monaghan.
Cavan and Monaghan are two of nine counties that have no Domestic Violence Refuge Services despite calls for such being made by the Tearmann Domestic abuse service for several years.
Deputy Carthy was speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday evening during a debate on a Sinn Féin Private Members Motion on Gender Based Violence, introduced following the brutal murder of Ashling Murphy in Tullamore.
Teachta Carthy said:
“I want to add my voice to the hundreds of thousands of messages of condolences to the loved ones of Ashling Murphy on her tragic death.
“The outpouring of grief that has followed Ashling’s murder has been phenomenal – the spontaneous organisation of vigils across our cities, towns and villages – and the huge numbers of men, children and especially women who turned up in sympathy, solidarity and anger – was simply amazing.
“All of us in society, but men in particular, have a responsibility to do our part in ending the violence, the threat of violence, the fear of violence that is the hallmark of the lives of every woman and girl.
“But, all of us in this house have a greater responsibility to listen.
“To listen to all those who attended vigils and demanded that Ashling Murphy’s death mark a turning point.
“To listen to all those women who came on the airwaves to share their own harrowing, often shocking experiences of humiliation, of harassment, of attacks endured while they were going about their daily business.
“To listen to those in this house who have bravely told their own stories – including my colleague Pauline Tully who in such an honest and powerful way outlined her experience of domestic abuse that almost cost her life.
“Above listening though, we have a responsibility to act.
“It will be our actions for which we will be judged.
“The counties in my constituency, Cavan and Monaghan, have no domestic violence refuge accommodation.
“For years the Tearmann Domestic abuse service have appealed for emergency accommodation provision. Their calls have gone unheeded by successive governments.
“If this government, and this house, are genuine about the words spoken in this chamber tonight – never again will Tearmann have to make that appeal.
“The evidence of whether we’ve listened will be in the delivery of refuge accommodation in every county and the implementation of the dozens of other immediate actions that have been rightly demanded over the past week.
“I commend this motion to the house”.
ENDS
