Danny Healy-Rae calls for stronger laws to protect women
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in a debate on 19 Jan 2022 about women's rights and protection following the killing of Ashley Murphy. He expressed sympathy for the victim's family and argued for strengthened laws, refuge accommodation and early education to protect girls.
Condolences and reaction
He conveyed heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ashley Murphy, her boyfriend, friends, class and extended musical community, describing the act as horrible, dreadful and unacceptable.
Call for legal reform
He said the laws must be strengthened in relation to women's protection and welcomed that the Minister and the government appeared to be of a mind to pursue tougher measures.
Refuge accommodation and safety
He argued that refuge accommodation should be available for women and victims and that girls should be able to go or walk wherever they want without being interfered with, assaulted or killed.
Education and prevention
He urged that youngsters be educated at an early age about what is right and wrong so they learn what they cannot and should not do, stressing that treating women or girls badly is not acceptable.
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Thank you very much. First of all, I want to thank Sian Fein for giving us the opportunity at this time, proper time, to debate this very important matter in relation to women's rights and women's protection. First of all, I want to commiserate and convey my heartfelt sympathies to the family of Ashley Murphy, her family, and her boyfriend, and her friends, her class, her extended musical family all over the country. It was such a terrible act that I know what I can describe. It was horrible, it was dreadful, it was terrible and unacceptable. And to think that dogs can do these kinds of acts, depraved acts, to kill a beautiful girl like this, who had such, so many things going for her. And to do such an act, and then we hear of all the other things, and you could say maybe they're lesser, they're not lesser, because when you treat women or girls badly, it's not acceptable. And we have to strengthen our laws, and we have to strengthen our laws, and I'm glad that the Minister is of a mind to do that, and the government, to strengthen our laws in relation to women and the protection of girls, and young girls as well. And youngster's must be educated as to what they can't and what they shouldn't do, and what is right, and it must be at an early age to do that. Refuge accommodation for women, victims should be able to go, girls should be able to go or walk wherever they want to, or do whatever they want to do without being interfered with, or being assaulted, and certainly not being killed, not to be killed.
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