Report into safety from gender-based violence in public spaces nears completion

A report into safety from gender-based based violence in public spaces in Offaly is nearing completion, Green Cllr Mark Hackett has revealed this week.

The report, which was commissioned, on foot of the horrific murder of Ashling Murphy last January, will be presented to the Joint Policing Committee in early December.

“As Chair of the subgroup writing this report I can confirm that we received nearly 350 responses to the survey which was run earlier this summer.

"We followed this up with invitations to stakeholders, primarily support services working in the area of gender-based violence. I look forward to presenting the report on December 5 at the next meeting of the Offaly Joint Policing Committee," he said.

Green Cllr Mark Hackett was speaking at the start of the international 16 Days of Action campaign, when he joined forces with his wife, Green Party Minister, Pippa Hackett to reinforce the ‘Zero Tolerance’ message on gender-based violence.

Minister Pippa Hackett said: “This Government is making unprecedented investment in the prevention of and protection against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence but there is no room for complacency.

"Today I remember the 249 women who have died violently in Ireland since 1996. Over 80% of these women, where the cases are resolved, were killed by a man known to them. I remember the 18 children killed alongside their mothers.

"I think also of those women killed since these figures were released by Women's Aid in May 2022. Unfortunately, we all know there have been more,” he ended.

Cllr Mark Hackett called on men to step up and challenge the culture of tolerance of ‘low level’ gender-based abuse.

“There is so much men can do and we must start by having awkward conversations. We must talk about consent and image based violence, about the link between pornography and gender-based violence and we must challenge the ‘banter’ when we hear it.”

Acknowledging that men can experience abuse by an intimate partner, Cllr Hackett added that “men can be victims too, and many of us have heard of horrific, recent, homophobic attacks.

"No level or form of gender-based abuse is acceptable. Government policy says ‘Zero Tolerance’ – so must we.”