LIMERICK survivors of child sexual abuse are pleading with the government for a speedy implementation of a new bill to be put into law that will “protect victims and survivors.”
Last week (Wednesday, November 25), the Victims of Sexual Violence Civil Protection Orders Bill 2025 was brought before the Dáil by Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy.
Nearly 40 survivors of abuse travelled to Dáil Eireann last week, “women who survived rape, torture, trauma and years of being silent” a statement on behalf of the survivors said.
The bill would work to empower victims of serious sexual offences by allowing courts to impose orders on convicted perpetrators at the time of their conviction and sentencing.
It would also restrain the convicted person from approaching, contacting, or harassing the victim upon their release from custody.
The bill was subsequently passed and will now move to the next stage of the legislative process.
However as the bill moves to Committee Stage, a support group spearheaded by Limerick women Leona O’Callaghan, Sonya Stokes and Shaneda Daly are urging fast action from the government.
In a statement to the Limerick Post, Victim Voices Ireland called on “Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to put victims before politics. Pass this bill now. Every day of delay is another woman destroyed, another child traumatised.”
“The government may not have opposed this Bill — but silence and delay are also a form of opposition. Survivors can see right through that. The current laws are failing — we know because we are the ones paying the price”, the statement read.
The group also called for a meeting with Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, to ensure the bill is introduced into law as soon as possible.
“We are calling publicly on the Minister, because he has not replied to meet with us or other advocates. We want to work with him — and with Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy — to push this through faster, harder, and without apology.”
“Survivors have carried this country on our backs for long enough. It is not our job to protect Ireland’s victims. It is the government’s job”, the group hit out.
“Victims do not have years to wait for safety. They do not have the luxury of political delays or endless committees. They live in fear today. They are being stalked today. They are meeting their rapist in a lift, a shop, outside their home today. Women are dying by suicide, turning to addiction, losing their children, losing their hope — not next year, not in 2027, now”.