Fine Gael Minister Josepha Madigan has said she has been subjected to a form of sexual assault.
Ms Madigan, who is Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion was speaking in the Dáil during a discussion on action to tackle sexual, domestic and gender based violence.
She said: “There are very few women my age who have not being subjected to some form of sexual assault in their respective lifetimes and I know this, because I’m one of them.”
The mother of two delivered a powerful speech in the Dáil and said she takes statistics she reads about these issues “with a pinch of salt”.
She said: “It won’t come as a surprise to those of us of a similar age who have suffered trauma and sometimes we have suffered it more than once.
“It was and is a lot more common than many believe and I always take statistics that I read with a pinch of salt.
“Most victims do not report their crimes and there are many reasons for this; shame, a fear of judgement and a desire to forget are among the reasons and it shouldn’t be this way.”
Ms Madigan continued: “And no doubt there is someone watching this speech live or reading it later, someone near to you at this very moment in time in a town, in a public space, a street or a home where some form of sexual assault or violation is taking place…”
She said recent events such as the murder of Sarah Everard in the UK have highlighted how vulnerable women can be.
She said the “scary part of sexual assault” is that “it is not always the random monster in the middle of the night but often a friend, a spouse or an acquaintance or someone you know”.
She said: “And it is, as the Taoiseach said earlier, a form of hidden abuse, but it is important to say that not all abuses continue as there can be isolated incidents that can be just as damaging either at home or outside the home.
“It is a corrosive blight on female safety and morale.”
Ms Madigan has been praised on social media for sharing her story with MEP Frances Fitzgerald tweeting: "Josepha, well spoken.
"It takes great courage to share such a personal story."
