Press Release: Senator Bacik calls for a Debate on Domestic Violence and Rape Law

STATEMENT BY SENATOR IVANA BACIK

Labour Seanad Spokesperson for Justice, Equality & Law Reform
Tuesday 8th December 2009

SENATOR BACIK CALLS FOR DEBATE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, RAPE LAW

Speaking in the Seanad today, Senator Ivana Bacik called for an urgent debate on domestic violence and on inadequacies within rape law, saying:

“As we near the end of the Women's Aid ‘16 Days' campaign highlighting the incidence of domestic violence, I think we need an urgent debate in this House to discuss the inadequacies in our legislation for protections for victims of domestic violence. We also need to discuss how best to prevent the incidence of such violence.”

Commending the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland for their conference on rape law held Monday 7th December, Senator Bacik said:

“The study launched yesterday and carried out by Conor Hanly and his team from NUI Galway has made the shocking finding that only one third of rape cases reported to the Gardai lead to the taking of criminal prosecutions by the DPP. The study also found that a narrow stereotype of rape victims may be a factor in the low numbers of rape cases proceeding to trial. We need to look at our rape laws, and our prosecution and trial processes generally, to see how to ensure that more complaints of rape are prosecuted within the criminal justice system.”

ENDS