Statement: Senator Bacik to Speak on Gender Based Violence

SENATOR BACIK TO SPEAK ON GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Senator Ivana Bacik
Labour Party Seanad Group Leader
23rd March 2012

Speaking today at a conference in the Burlington Hotel organised by FAWCO, an international network of voluntary organisations, Senator Ivana Bacik will address the topic of gender-based violence, focusing particularly on domestic violence and prostitution. The theme for the panel discussion is ‘Stop the Violence' and other speakers will include Susan McKay and Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop.

In her paper today, Senator Bacik will say:

“It is time that we as policy-makers engaged in a radical review of current approaches to tackling gender-based violence. When dealing with domestic violence, we need to place greater emphasis upon strategies aimed at the prevention of abuse and at preventing repeat offending by the perpetrators. Similarly, our laws on prostitution must focus now upon those who purchase sex – by introducing legislation here based on the Swedish law on prostitution, we would shift the focus of the criminal law from the prostitutes to the clients. This shift in focus could play an important part in tackling gender-based violence.”

ENDS