Kathleen Funchion Urges More Resources for Protective Services
Kathleen Funchion addressed under-reporting of sexual violence and called for increased resources for Protective Services Units and refuge provision. She acknowledged steps taken by ministers and praised local services while urging wider rollout and targeted funding.
Under-reporting and barriers
Funchion highlighted fear, self-blame and repeated questioning as key reasons many survivors do not report sexual violence. She said those factors feed into under-reporting and stressed the need to streamline the reporting process to reduce retraumatisation.
Protective Services Units - praise and resourcing
She paid tribute to the Protective Services Unit in Kilkenny and described the unit's collaboration with Amber Women's Refuge as a model for victim-centred practice. Funchion urged additional resources for Protective Services Units - including sufficient Gardaí and administrative staff - and called for those units to be available more widely across the country.
Local example - Amber Women's Refuge
Funchion noted a ministerial visit to Amber Women's Refuge in Kilkenny and used the example to underscore how well-trained, empathetic staff change survivors' experiences. She said where specialist supports are present they often act as an effective single point of contact for victims.
Refuge spaces and local need
She expressed disappointment at the pace of work on refuge provision, noting the current refuge covers both Carlo and Kilkenny and arguing Carlo needs its own stand-alone refuge. Funchion called for increased attention to the availability and distribution of refuge spaces.
Children, advocacy groups and practical solutions
Funchion cited concerns raised by the Ombudsman for Children about insufficient attention to children affected by domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. She paid tribute to organisations such as Safe Ireland and the Rape Crisis Centre, and urged that modest additional funding for frontline services could have a significant impact.
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Thanks very much. I am glad to get the opportunity to speak on this and while the evidence in the document that we are talking about is shocking and depressing, I suppose, for want of better words, I think it is important that we do actually have that information and that we now act on that information. I do want to acknowledge some of the steps that have been taken, Minister Harris and also Minister McEntee, I think in particular Minister McEntee has really kind of taken this on and we were lucky to have her visit in Kilkenny actually to Amber Women's Refuge and there is so much you could say and there is always so much I want to say on this topic, so I am going to try and kind of confine my remarks to the issue of under-reporting and we have to ask ourselves, why is there such a high level of under-reporting and obviously we know that there is a fear of will people believe me, am I going to be asked, obviously you are going to be asked questions but are you going to be asked so many questions that you start questioning yourself, there is a sense of guilt that some people have which they shouldn't have but that they kind of think should I have done something different, should I somehow bring this upon myself and all of that leads into under-reporting and then when somebody does take the very brave step to go in and report, I think it is so important that they are met with the correct attitude and this is where I want to pay tribute to the Protective Services Units in An Garda Siakana, we are very lucky to have an absolutely excellent Protective Services Unit in Kilkenny and they work really well and in collaboration with Amber Women's Refuge and I think we need to look around the country where that system is working and this is not necessarily their role and I would say that they go way above and beyond but they nearly serve as a one-stop shop for people because we know from the survey that 78% of women, sorry, 78% of all people, men and women, that have experienced sexual violence, they know the person, and that has been going on with this as well, they know that it can be very difficult and I think all of that leads to under-reporting so we need to make it a kind of sort of a streamlined as much as possible and this is why I think we need to see additional resources being given to the Protective Services Units where they do work really well, they certainly definitely need more resources and I know we will certainly welcome more resources but I do think that that is a crucial part of this and we also need to see where we do not have Protective Services Units in the Garda Siakana, that that that does need to be something that is available to all people because it totally changes people's experiences and I certainly know that anecdotally from constituents that the level of understanding and empathy, you know, where you actually come across people who are trained, who are sufficiently trained, is really different. I want to briefly touch on the issue of refuge spaces. I know it's a little bit different but they're obviously very much linked and just to say that it is something that I am disappointed that we haven't seen more work done in relation to providing refuge spaces. We do have an excellent refuge as I have said but our refuge covers both Carlo and Kilkenny and Carlo really does need its own stand-alone refuge as well. I also want to touch on the point that the Ombudsman for children in their report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, insufficient attention was given to the issue of children affected by domestic and sexual and gender-based violence and I think that that is something that we do need to look at and bear in mind as well. The other thing that I wanted to just briefly touch on as well and also pay tribute to Safe Ireland and the Rape Crisis Centre and all of the work that they have done in relation to just creating more awareness as well but all the supports that they provide for people and also for the likes of ourselves in this role when you are dealing with people and you also want to always make sure you are given the correct and the right advice but I do think unlike a lot of other sectors I think there is some really good and common sense solutions coming from the sector coming from those that work with predominantly women that are in this situation and a small amount of additional resources could mean an awful lot and at the risk of repeating myself I really do think that one of the key key things is those protective services units in the Gardaí and I think where we have those working well we need to ensure that they have the correct resources if they have the correct number of Gardaí and the correct amount of administration staff and where we don't have those we need to ensure that Gardaí stations are given the resources to have those units because it is a key difference for people coming forward and not. Thank you very much. Thank you.
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