Ardagh calls on Government to make public spaces ‘safe for all’

Fianna Fáil Senator Catherine Ardagh has called on the Government to ensure that public spaces are safe and inclusive for all.

Senator Ardagh’s call comes as a review of hate crime legislation in the UK is expected to ask the government there to consider criminalising public sexual harassment after a years-long campaign by women’s rights organisations and lawyers.

Senator Ardagh commented: “Sexual harassment and other forms of sexual violence in public spaces, both in urban and rural settings, are an everyday occurrence for women and girls in every country around the world.

“All to regularly we are seeing reports of attacks on our streets with shocking videos being circulated on social media.

“While domestic and workplace violence is now widely recognized as a human rights violation, sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women and girls in public spaces are often neglected, with few laws or policies in place to prevent and address it.

“This reality reduces women’s and girls’ freedom of movement and reduces their ability to participate in school, work, and public life.

“I am calling for urgent action to address this issue. Systems must be put in place to reduce violence and harassment in order to ensure that public spaces are safe and inclusive for all.”