Belfast woman Maíria Cahill has said yesterday’s Dáil debate about her allegations helped to “lift the lid on how the Republican movement dealt with child sex abusers”.

Ms Cahill claims she was raped by an IRA member in 1997 and forced to attend a Republican - style court along with her alleged abuser.

This morning she described the debate as “very important”. She alleged the Sinn Féin party may know where the abusers are.

“The lights were shone on that issue,” she told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme.

“Any highlighting of sexual abuse does bring other victims forward and that has to be welcomed.”

She said she worked in the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.

Referring to Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams’ declaration that he had provided information he had received from a Republican source to gardaí, Ms Cahill said she would treat it like an “untruth” until she received further details.

Ms Cahill also claimed Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald “smirked” at her outside the Dáil chamber.

She complained Ms McDonald had been using her phone and had laughed during the debate.

Ms Cahill said she understood how people could be used by political parties but she did not think that was happening to her.

She revealed Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin was "moved to tears" during a private meeting with her, while Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton had been "sincere".

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary-Lou McDonald said today she understood “anecdotally” that the majority of alleged sex abusers were “relocated” by the IRA to England or Scotland.

Ms McDonald said she wanted to say “categorically” she had no such information. If she did, she would give it to the relevant authorities.

She said yesterday’s debate about Belfast woman Maíria Cahill’s allegations had been used by other parties as a “platform” to attack Sinn Féin.

Responding to Ms Cahill’s claim she had smirked at her outside the Dáil chamber, Ms McDonald said she had smiled but if that had been interpreted as a smirk she apologised.

Ms McDonald told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland the IRA should never have attempted to deal with sexual abuse crimes.

That happened at a time when republicans and nationalists were reluctant to go to the RUC, she said.

“We are now in a new place and I’m calling for everybody to come forward.”

She said silence surrounded the issue of sexual abuse. A new atmosphere in which the silence could be broken was needed.

Ms McDonald said she and Sinn Féin had accepted Ms Cahill had suffered sexual abuse “from the very get go”.

“Where I differ with Maíria is when she makes the allegation...that Sinn Féin is involved in a cover-up.”

Ms McDonald insisted that was not the case.

“We are not withholding information...We are not breaking the law. We respect the law.”