Labour Party TD Conor Sheehan has told the Dáil that men are “the problem” when it comes to gender-based violence, describing himself as “a white man in a position of enormous privilege.”
During a debate on gender-based violence, Sheehan said, “As a man, I am very conscious of the fact that we are the problem because we are the perpetrators of this violence. I am very clear as a white man in a position of enormous privilege that I want to be a positive role model and an agent for change.”
He emphasised that men had a leading role in efforts to combat gender-based violence, calling it “a global human rights issue” and stating that “the fight against this scourge cannot be led by women and women’s rights movements alone.”
Quoting author Margaret Atwood, Sheehan said, “Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them.” He also referenced former State pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy, who once remarked, “It is the man in your bed you should be worried about, not the man under your bed,” seemingly implying all women should fear violence from their husbands or partners.
The idea that white people or men have inherent privilege has been frequently discussed by members of the Oireachtas over the years, as highlighted in the Gript video below.