Like others, I have called for this Bill, Jennie's law, and now welcome it. It came through the Seanad first in order to speed it up. I thank the Minister for doing that to get it through the process before the recess. It is a significant step forward in protecting victims of domestic abuse. For too long, the horrific realities of coercive control, assault, non-fatal strangulation, which others have mentioned, and other forms of abuse have been hidden in this system of silence. By establishing a public register of convictions, the Bill brings these crimes committed by dangerous people into the light of day. In theory, it empowers those with information to help to protect others, although they are often victims themselves or the relatives of victims. While I support the core principles of the legislation, we also have to listen to some of the constructive criticism raised across this House and beyond. If this law is truly to protect victims, we have to address some gaps before its final passage. For example, there is a deep structural conflict between the register and the family court system. I have raised the in camera rule separately. Under this Bill, an offender can only be placed on the public register with the express consent of the victim. However, as long as the family courts operate under the strict secrecy of the in camera rule, victims may well be too terrified to give that consent. They may fear that publicly naming and shaming an abuser will trigger retaliation in closed-door custody and access proceedings. Currently, the system cannot adequately police such retaliation. To really help survivors, we have to reform the in camera rule and bring transparency to family justice. Serious questions remain regarding the process of applying for removal from the register. As it stands and as others have mentioned, an offender can apply to be removed from the register three years after conviction or on completion of their sentence. That is too short. However, I welcome this legislation in general.

Sentiment score: -0.07