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.

THE Supreme Court decision which found that the information commissioner was wrong to refuse a father access to his daughter’s hospital medical records will be welcomed by all who support parents in matters affecting the welfare of their children.

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

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.

I AM writing to show my disgust of our Government after reading Mary T Cleary’s letter headlined ‘Domestic abuse: how men lose’ (Irish Examiner, October 12).

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.

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.

IN March of this year a Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime was set up by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell.

AMNESTY International spokesman Jim Loughran says “domestic violence is not a woman’s issue, it’s an issue of human rights” (Irish Examiner, March 7).

JUSTICE, Equality and Law Reform minister of state Frank Fahey recently launched an awareness campaign on domestic violence which deals only with violence against women.

THE Government is again ignoring the rights of unmarried fathers by refusing to register the appointment of unmarried fathers as guardians of their children.

MARY T CLEARY (Irish Examiner, January 17) claims that fatherless children lack discipline as a result of the absence of a male figure in their lives.

I REFER to the article entitled ‘Refuge groups want helpline for violent men’ by Michael Brennan (Irish Examiner, Dec 23).

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