Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
878. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the current status of Action 22.3 of the National LGBTI Inclusion Strategy (for which her Department is responsible); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36952/23]
View answerThe promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI+ persons and other vulnerable groups is a priority.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Third National Strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender based violence was published last year. The goal is of the strategy is clear: zero tolerance in Irish society for any form of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. The Strategy will run to 2026 and will be accompanied by a detailed implementation plan for each year. The current implementation plan, published alongside the Strateg, runs to the end of this year and contains 144 detailed actions.
The Zero Tolerance Strategy recognises and acknowledges the need to provide support for all victims/survivors of gender-based violence, irrespective of any characteristics they might have, and acknowledges the intersectionality between sex, gender and sexuality-based violence and ethnicity, ability and age.
All actions in the Strategy must be implemented in a way that takes a horizontal, intersectional approach to ensure the inclusion of socially excluded groups. The Strategy recognises the need to reflect the lived experiences of particular cohorts of victims/survivors and acknowledges the additional risks factors created by overlapping forms of discrimination faced by particular groups (which includes people with disabilities, migrant women, Travellers and Roma, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQI+). An intersectional approach to DSGBV recognises that DSGBV is a problem that requires consideration of all parts of an individual’s identity to ensure equality of outcome for all.
To ensure that all actions taken forward under the Third National Strategy are developed and implemented in accordance with the intersectional needs of victims/survivors, a specialised group whose role will be to proof and advise on all interventions in terms of intersectionality and inclusivity for socially excluded groups will be established by the new DSGBV Agency with the support of the Department of Children Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and relevant specialist and community-based support organisations.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is currently working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on the bill to establish the new agency on a statutory basis by January of 2024.
