Madigan deserves praise for speaking out on issue

I HAVE to congratulate our Minister of State for Education Josepha Madigan for having the courage to share with the nation her experience about being a survivor of sexual assault.

It was compelling to listen to her speak in the Dáil about her encounter and offer profound insights pertaining to sexual assault and how the perpetrators of such violence were not, as she put it, ‘some random monster in the middle of the night but often a friend, a spouse, acquaintance or someone the person knows. It is a corrosive blight on female safety and morale’.

It would be true to say that many men too suffer from sexual violence and the Minister was very much at pains to say that they also need to be supported.

However, the statistics reveal that the vast preponderance of those who are sexually assaulted are women.

I really want to salute our Minister for her candour in relation to this pressing societal issue.

I totally concur with her regarding the importance of having a full debate on constitutional reforms that were proposed by the Citizens Assembly on gender equality.

I would hope that our Taoiseach would now take up the cudgels on behalf of the Minister and for all those who have been impacted by such egregious sexual assaults.

It is really important that our Taoiseach champions a justice system in this country that is essentially fit for purpose, so as that perpetrators of such assaults face the full rigours of the law with special emphasis of compassion and empathy shown to all those who are victims of such heinous crimes.

John O’Brien, Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny.