International Women's Day is an important day in the calendar year. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate the strength, courage and resilience of women - women who have shaped our communities, our families and who continue to stand up for what is right in a very unjust world. However, we must remember that International Women's Day is not only about looking back. It is about recognising the struggles that continue today. Across Ireland, women continue to fight for equality, for justice and for dignity. Women are fighting for proper healthcare and for their voices to be heard. They are fighting against poverty, against discrimination and against violence. They are fighting for a society that values care, equality and community. I have raised in this Dáil many times the real-life institutional barriers which women face. I have primarily raised these in the context of the housing crisis. Women are uniquely impacted by the housing crisis. Unfortunately, too often I have raised the issue of how women are impacted by domestic abuse within the confines of our broken housing system in this Chamber but nothing has been done. We need a social housing passport for women affected by domestic abuse. It is not good enough that there are barriers in place that make it even more difficult for women to leave an abusive relationship. For clarity I want to give an example. If a woman leaves and abusive relationship in one county to seek support in another county, be it familial, community or justice, she is penalised by the councils as they do not recognise the years she may have spent on the housing list and, indeed, she would need to reapply fully for social housing in order to access emergency accommodation. This should not be the case and needs to change. I am asking the Minister of State to ensure this happens. Women should be safe and should get the support of this Dáil to do that. We must recognise there are women today who continue to fight for their rights quietly, courageously and collectively. The greatest tribute we can give women today is to continue their work to build a society that sees and hears women's struggles and that recognises institutional barriers that mainly affect women and not only recognise them but actually change them.

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