Immediate Action Needed To Curb Shocking Increases In Sexual Violence
NB Please see the Aontú Bill Attached
Speaking in the Dáil on the Criminal Justice Bill 2021, Aontú Leader & Meath West TD raised the Shocking increase across nearly all sexual crimes in the last five years and has called on the government to support the swift passage of the Aontú Bill to prohibit the supply of Hard-core pornography to young children by Internet companies as a measure to curb the increase in sexual violence. An Teachta Tóibín:
“In figures obtained by my office, there has been worrying increases in sexual violence in the past five years in Ireland. Figures decreased marginally in 2020, however this should be reconciled with the global pandemic and Lockdowns which have impacted our very way of life. In 2016, the CSO recorded 2,520 Sexual Offences – increasing to 3,340 by 2019. Between 2016 and 2020, we have also seen instances of rape, abuse of a boy/girl under 17, and sexual assault increase. The CSO figures published this week made for harrowing listening. 20.8% of the perpetrators of sex crimes were boys under 18 years of age. 20% of sexual crimes involved a child assaulting another child. In 2020, 533 girls under 18 were victims of sexual assault – accounting for 44% of assaults in 2020. There needs to be a serious national conversation about the underlying reasons for this increase, and how we can best respond to these increases. One of these underlying reasons is the provision of Hard-core pornography to young children.”
“The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre commented on the figures published, particularly those involving underage victims and/or perpetrators, that Hard-core pornography that perpetuated abusive and harmful attitudes towards women, consent and sex was a factor in these statistics. Internet Porn Companies can legally provide hard-core porn to kids as young as 10. Material that would have been illegal for adults to consume a generation ago, is now being accessed on a significant level by young children. This pornography also has a damaging effect upon these children, which can lead to distorted attitudes towards relationships, addiction and to sexual abuse of other children as the figures above attest to. Indeed, it has been cited in Court cases as a contributing factor in cases of murder or sexual abuse. Successive governments and government parties have sat on their hands when it comes to this issue. We are reiterating our call on the government and all parties in the Dáil to immediately support our Bill to prohibit the provision of Hard-core pornography to children, and to ensure its swift passage in the Dáil
“Further to this, there needs to be a further discussion around sentencing for sexual violence. In 2019, a man was sentenced to a mere 2 and a half years in prison for sexual assault of a 13 year old girl. In 2015, Magnus Meyer Hustveit was given a year suspended sentence for frequent rape and sexual assault of his girlfriend whilst asleep over the course of a year, with the Judge in that case crediting Hustveit for confessing and allowing the case to be brought forth. In February of this year, a former drug dealer was given a fully suspended sentence despite sexually assaulting a woman. Another case in 2021, saw a man spared a criminal conviction for sexual assault of two women if he gave a donation of €100 to the Rape Crisis Centre. These disgraceful sentences follow on from reports that only one in eight sexual offenders in prison have taken part in the State’s treatment programme. We need to do better and must do better, to combat the scourge of sexual violence in our society.”
Protection of Children Online Pornography Material Bill
