I want to start by expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the wake of Russia's horrific attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv yesterday. I welcome the Taoiseach's calling out of that attack as a war crime because it was a war crime. It is another in a series of war crimes committed by Russia in its brutal invasion of Ukraine. It must be condemned by all of us and all of those across Europe.

I want to pay tribute again to the courageous advocacy of Natasha O'Brien and Bláthnaid Raleigh. In their powerful advocacy and their courage in coming forward, they shone a light on the reality of violence against women in Irish society. This week, we have seen more brave women and courageous advocates coming forward. We saw it on Sunday evening in the powerful programme broadcast by "RTÉ Investigates" following an investigation by Marie Crowe and Mark Tighe of the Sunday Independent, in which we heard from a number of very brave women who spoke about their past experience of abuse within the FAI.

But for the courage of those who have spoken out, the horrendous experiences of the women like those who spoke on the programme would never have come to light, because we know it takes courage. It is traumatising for those who have experienced harassment to speak up and speak out. Speaking truth to power carries risk for those who have been grievously wronged. These brave women have done the State some service, undoubtedly at a significant personal cost. Their testimony cannot be for nothing.

Irish society must reckon with the reason why so many women and children throughout so many organisations and institutions have endured horrific sexual abuse and violence over the years. We know the FAI is not the first organisation or indeed the first sports body to have come into the spotlight for this abuse. Our country is sadly no stranger to disclosures of horrific abuse of power in many different settings. I am thinking back to disclosures in the industrial schools, Magdalen institutions, schools, scouting organisations, the Defence Forces, sports and the arts and entertainment sector. It is just not good enough. Women should expect to be able to go about our lives free from harassment and fear of violence. Children should be able to take part in activities and sports without fear of harassment or abuse. Across Ireland, we have seen organisations and institutions stepping up, responding to the disclosures and putting in place appropriate safeguards. The change that has happened makes the account of the women who spoke to RTÉ and Aoife Hegarty's team so harrowing, because it reminds us that this abuse has gone on quite recently.

Players, ranging from former Republic of Ireland internationals to trainees, reported how the abuse they suffered had damaged careers and ruined lives. It included physical harassment, homophobic abuse and a suffocating power dynamic within an organisation. I welcome that the FAI has now responded but I ask that the Taoiseach and the Ministers, Deputies Catherine Martin and Thomas Byrne, take a lead. As Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said yesterday, they need to take a lead on unearthing experiences of abuse in sporting organisations. We need to uncover this and continue to shine a light on it.

I thank Deputy Bacik and join her in her comments on the war crimes that were carried out by targeting sick children in Ukraine yesterday. Imagine what that is like. The war in Ukraine has been going on for quite a long time but we can never allow ourselves to be in any way immune or accept what is happening, nor should we with the crimes against children happening in the Middle East. A state that commits war crimes targeting sick children and using hypersonic missiles is one that has no interest in peace. This attack and Russia's further efforts to escalate the conflict demonstrate that Russia is only intent on escalation. It has to be held to account for this.

I thank Deputy Bacik for bringing up the important issue relating to the documentary that was on at the weekend regarding the FAI and abuse. I join her in commending the former players and others who came forward, spoke up and spoke out. She is right that it seems, every week in this House, that we are discussing another example of abuse, attacks and assaults against women or girls, some in the here and now, some in the recent past, and some further back in the past. All that time, we are consistently having that conversation. That is a stark reminder that we are nowhere near where we wish to be as a country and that our work has to continue cross-party, as I know it does, on how we bring about complete cultural change and zero tolerance to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

I am aware of the specific issue the Deputy raised, which has been reported over the past few days. That investigation into alleged abuse in Irish football in the 1990s is under way. I know a Garda investigation is also under way and that the FAI, as the national governing body, is engaging fully with that investigation, as it must and should. As the matter is currently subject to a Garda investigation, I do not want to comment too much on the detail of it for fear of in any way cutting across that work. Of course, it is vital that allegations of this nature are taken seriously and that the FAI takes an athlete-centred approach to its handling of this matter.

It is important to make the point that in recent years, we have seen a number of steps taken by both Sport Ireland and national governing bodies to create a safe environment. We have seen safeguarding policies and procedures put in place. All national governing bodies now have Sport Ireland safeguarding guidance for children and young people in sport. There is a core document in this regard.

Sport Ireland has done an extensive suite of work around guidelines and codes of practice for the protection of children and young people in sport. Specifically on the issue raised by the Deputy, I understand Sport Ireland recently wrote to all 65 national governing bodies to remind them of their responsibilities, the policies and procedures regarding player welfare and that they must be up to date, fit for purpose and implemented.

I thank the Taoiseach and agree that cultural change is needed to stamp out and make what we have called everyday sexism, harassment and gender-based violence a thing of the past in different institutions. I welcome that the Taoiseach said that, where appropriate, criminal investigations by the Garda are under way. The question is what the Government will do now about this. What practical steps can Government and all of us as legislators take to achieve real zero tolerance? What is concerning about the FAI programme is it took a tweet from Olivia O'Toole two years ago to shine the light that led to the disclosures of abuse. What was horrifying for me in watching the documentary was that the women involved did not know there was a collective experience. Until they came together because of the journalistic investigation , they thought they were the only ones who had been harassed and abused. Unfortunately, that is the reality in far too many settings. I call on the Government to establish a mechanism whereby those who have been abused within sporting organisations can come forward and tell their stories and ensures that their experiences can be addressed, criminal investigations commenced where appropriate and that we see proper accountability and safeguards put in place across all sporting organisations.

That is an excellent idea. I will talk to the relevant Ministers as to how to take that forward. Based on what I have been told and what I read, a number of positive measures have been taken by sporting organisations in recent years, which I know the Deputy would accept and acknowledge. I do not suggest the 1990s was a very long time ago but many years have passed and a lot has happened, quite rightly, in safeguarding, policies and procedures. That is not in any way to take away from the horrific instances discussed and reported on in recent days. We now have our national governing bodies, which have standards to apply and codes of conduct and practice around the welfare of our players. Sport Ireland recently re-engaged with all 65 national governing bodies. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, is doing good work in this area, which I acknowledge. The Minister of State, the Minister and I will consider how best to take this forward because zero tolerance means zero tolerance for everyone. We were in the Chamber only recently talking about the Defence Forces and the Judiciary in as appropriate a way as we could. It seems every week we talk about a different aspect of the State or public or private and that whole issue of zero tolerance. That is why what we are trying to do at a whole-of-government level is work to use every policy lever at our disposal. The cultural change piece is also key, and that is why we will need wider societal support.