{"id":14093,"date":"2025-10-21T11:57:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/?p=14093"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:57:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T10:57:10","slug":"seanad-to-debate-soc-dems-bill-to-establish-free-travel-scheme-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/ga\/seanad-to-debate-soc-dems-bill-to-establish-free-travel-scheme-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence\/","title":{"rendered":"Seanad to debate Soc Dems\u2019 Bill to establish free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Seanad will debate a Social Democrats\u2019 Bill tomorrow (Wednesday, October 22) which aims to establish a free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence and their dependents.<\/p>\n<p>Launching her first Bill, Senator Patricia Stephenson said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDomestic violence, which mainly affects women, can force those fleeing their abusers into poverty. Having to escape an abusive relationship or ex-partner is always a deeply traumatic experience \u2013 but it can also result in additional financial costs for those caught up in these frightening situations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor instance, a woman may end up in a refuge located far away from her job or children\u2019s school. The cost of travelling for work, school, healthcare, psychological support or legal advice can put many survivors under financial pressure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy Bill aims to establish a \u2018Safe Passage\u2019 travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence, which would provide a free travel pass, to include dependents, valid for three months. This would be accepted across all Transport for Ireland services, including Dublin Bus, Bus \u00c9ireann, Local Link, Luas and Irish Rail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe scheme is designed to be survivor-centred and would be activated via referral from approved bodies under Cuan \u2013 the domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency. This would avoid the necessity for repeated disclosures of trauma.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThree months of free travel will not solve every problem, but it sends a powerful message \u2013 that the State will support you in moving on, rebuilding your life and living freely. It means you are not just seen as a victim, but as a person beginning again. It acknowledges that safety is not only about locks and alarms, but about access, connection, and opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis Bill is about freedom \u2013 freedom to leave, freedom to move, freedom to begin again. It is about the dignity of survivors of violence and ensuring they are not left to navigate trauma in isolation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have an epidemic of domestic violence in Ireland. My Bill is just one step towards addressing the cost factors that heap further trauma and stress on survivors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>October 21, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Seanad will debate a Social Democrats\u2019 Bill tomorrow (Wednesday, October 22) which aims to establish a free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence and their dependents. Launching her first Bill, Senator Patricia Stephenson said: \u201cDomestic violence, which mainly affects women, can force those fleeing their abusers into poverty. Having to escape an abusive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[776,641,7,548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-domestic-abuse","category-patricia-stephenson","category-press-release","category-violence-against-women"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Seanad to debate Soc Dems\u2019 Bill to establish free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence - Social Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/seanad-to-debate-soc-dems-bill-to-establish-free-travel-scheme-for-survivors-of-domestic-violence\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ga_IE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seanad to debate Soc Dems\u2019 Bill to establish free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence - Social Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Seanad will debate a Social Democrats\u2019 Bill tomorrow (Wednesday, October 22) which aims to establish a free travel scheme for survivors of domestic violence and their dependents. 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