Women voting in the upcoming general election can help the next government tackle issues that affect them like domestic violence or cancer screening, it was claimed today.
Chairwoman of Labour Women, Sinead Ni Chulachain said females casting their ballots can have a huge impact on what kind of policies political parties produce and what actions are taken.
She launched the Why Women Should Vote Labour campaign in Dublin with TDs Joan Burton and Joe Costello.
"If women don't highlight issues or approaches that are important to them, the danger is that the political parties don't highlight them either," Ms Ni Chulachain said.
"Policies and actions must address women's needs directly, such as cervical cancer screening or childcare. Policies must also be aware of the impact they have on women, such as public transport or lifelong learning. The Labour Party said that one in five
women continue to experience domestic violence but frontline services are under-funded with little or no emergency accommodation.
The National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency is under the threat of closure, Ms Ni Chulachain remarked.
"The Labour Party is demanding vast improvements in both services for victims of domestic violence and in the judicial process where conviction rates for these offences are extremely low.
"We are determined to continue to highlight this important issue on behalf of all those women who suffer domestic abuse.
PA