CEANN COMHAIRLE SEÁN Ó Fearghaíl is due to host a meeting with female TDs later today to discuss their safety and security.
The meeting, which is due to take place this evening, will be attended by both TDs and members of the Gardaí, with Justice Minister Simon Harris saying that issues raised will be taken “extraordinarily seriously”.
Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton welcomed the engagement with the Ceann Comhairle and said that there needed to be an “open and honest” discussion about safety of men and women in politics.
“I think it’s really important that we have an open and honest discussion around how women and men or publicly elected representatives are feeling whether you’re at local or national level,” Naughton said.
“What we need to do is try and do is encourage more women into politics and we need to be very careful as well around the discourse around this, encouraging more women to have the confidence to be able to step up and to know that they will be safe and protected.”
Naughton added that it was important that public representatives were protected regardless of the political party they are affiliated to, adding that she has engaged with Gardaí.
She told reporters that she is consciously aware of her own safety either when canvassing or when holding clinics.
“I think I would certainly I would hold my clinics in public areas, when I’m out canvassing there’s always people with me around me and I would be conscious. I think we all are, no matter what we do, you’re conscious about your own safety.”
Naughton adds that everyone who looks to enter politics, but particularly women, need to be reassured that they will be safe.
“No matter what you’re doing in politics, you need to be reassured – and particularly women – that precautions and safety measures will be in place.”
“I think there needs to be an awareness around when you attend a public meeting, for example, that there are protections there and you do feel safe to engage with your constituents.”
Naughton said that she believed if recommendations are made following the meeting, they will be followed.
It comes after Fianna Fáil’s Anne Rabbitte said that she had considered quitting politics after she had a bag of faeces thrown at her at a public meeting last month.
The junior minister said that she had been limiting public appearances since the incident at a public meeting in her constituency in Gort.
“Back in January, there was a couple of moments there that night, when I queried myself as to why I do this. That’s the first time ever in my political career, I would have doubted myself,” she told RTÉ Radio One last weekend.
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