The regular disclosure of incidents of domestic and sexual violence has led to one professor describing this ongoing problem as a national crisis, writes Cormac O’Keeffe

THE Inspector of Prisons has called for a new courts system which would address the causes of criminality rather than criminalise offenders.

THE slashing of 41 State agencies will be a “first installment” in a long term plan of reducing so-called quangos, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said last night.

AN EPISODE of The Bill shown on RTÉ last December which featured a man committing suicide has been deemed “totally inappropriate” for a daytime schedule by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.

YOUR report on Jackie Hayden’s book, A Man in a Woman’s World (December 10), says he was the first man to hold the position of chairperson in the Rape Crisis Network.

All health workers should be trained to deal with women who have suffered violent attacks, campaigners claimed today.

All health workers should be trained to deal with women who have suffered violent attacks, campaigners claimed today.

TOM KINDLON (Letters, October 17) correctly points out that “domestic violence is a terrible problem, but studies show it is not just women who suffer from it”.

THERE is growing alarm at the destructive effect extreme pornography is having on Irish society.

IN your editorial (May 17) you commented on the criticisms by some women’s groups of the new body being set up by the Government to deal with domestic violence.

THE Department of Justice and the courts service are to look into the establishment of community courts to deal with anti-social crime like vandalism, disorderly conduct and petty theft.

The Criminal Justice system could be set for a major shake-up after Government advisors today called for new courts to force offenders to make amends for their crimes.

TOM KINDON (Irish Examiner letters, April 2) says when gender politics are discussed, ”many would prefer if only one side was allowed put its case.”

THE Labour Party’s women and equality officer Kirsi Hanifin (Irish Examiner letters, January 20) takes me to task for stating (Letters, January 16) that domestic violence is not a gender issue.

IN introducing an item on domestic violence on the Late Late Show on 20 October, Pat Kenny began by stating that “as many men suffer physical abuse at the hands of their wives and partners as women.”

FOUR summers ago Peter McBride hugged his mother goodbye in the living room of their London home.

GARDAÍ are ignoring calls to help lift the veil of secrecy surrounding domestic violence by no longer keeping comprehensive records on the issue.

VIOLENT partners are escaping punishment while their victims are left to suffer in a society doing its best to ignore them.

The series on domestic violence beginning in today’s Irish Examiner presents a harrowing picture of violence, frustration, incompetence, indifference and appalling political neglect.

Fergus Finlay took issue (Irish Examiner, October 24) with an earlier article by Terry Prone in which, according to Mr Finlay, she argued that we live in an over-regulated world, peopled by politically correct bureaucrats, which is spoiling childhood.

IT is unlikely at this stage that anyone will be surprised by a recent study of patients attending their family doctors which found that 52% of men and 43% of women have experienced domestic violence.

RAPE victims are forced to wait more than two years to get their cases before the courts, according to a new report.

A MAJOR investigation into delays in the investigation and prosecution of murder and rape cases in the Republic has come to some damning conclusions.

The length of time taken to bring a person charged with murder or rape to court should be cut in half, a new report has found.

THE State is inflicting “mental torture” on rape victims due to widespread delays in bringing cases to court, support groups have warned.

A NATIONAL survey considered crucial to establishing the true levels of crime in Ireland will not be conducted until 2008 — six years after the Department of Justice was urged to commission it.

IN her letter headlined ‘New policy needed on domestic violence’ (Irish Examiner, February 4), Senator Mary White refers to domestic violence research published last July by the National Crime Council.

THE recent study of domestic violence among patients attending a Galway city practice once again shows that many men are victims, too.

A Fianna Fáil representative has said that more needs to be done to highlight domestic violence here.

THERE has been considerable publicity about the assaults on two EastEnders’ stars by their female partners.

CALLS to a helpline set up for men beaten up by women have soared since it emerged that Eastenders hardman Steve McFadden was attacked by his lover and his on-screen brother Ross Kemp was involved in a domestic incident with his wife Rebekah Wade.

ACCORDING to a report in the Irish Examiner of October 5, Women’s Aid has called for an additional €70,000 annually from Government to fund their helpline.

A domestic violence helpline today said it was worried by the scale of abuse being perpetrated against women with some reporting being strangled into unconsciousness.

A FUND to help victims of crime has been recommended by a Law Reform Commission (LRC) report. The new financial reparation fund would replace the poor box system now in use.

THE National Crime Council (NCC), in association with the ESRI, recently published the first large-scale study of the nature, extent and impact of domestic abuse against women and men in intimate partner relationships.

Cormac O’Keeffe

THE latest survey of domestic abuse gives an alarming insight into life in Ireland today.

In findings released today, it was revealed that one in seven women had experienced severely abusive behaviour from their partners at some point in their lives.

COMMUNITY policing is crucial to the prevention and investigation of crime, Dublin’s top garda told an international conference yesterday.

Cormac O'Keeffe

THE number of domestic violence incidents reported to the gardaí has fallen by almost 40% in two years, according to new figures.

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell yesterday admitted that the poor rate of conviction for rape cases posed "very serious cause for concern."

MEMBERS of an expert group on crime statistics have clashed over findings on how to improve the compilation of crime figures by the gardaí.

THE report published by the National Crime Council (NCC) yesterday contains recommendations which, if implemented, could have a very positive impact on reducing the incidence of crime.