Few willing to intervene in domestic abuse cases

ALMOST half of all Irish people know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence but few would try to help a neighbour being abused in the home, shocking new figures reveal.

The study by Cosc, the state agency for preventing domestic and sexual violence, found although people want to help, many are reluctant to intervene.

Asked what they would do if they suspected a friend was a victim of domestic abuse, 95% said they would most likely talk to their friend but not mention the abuse.

And while nearly two-thirds said they would be prepared to help a stranger, just 39% said they would help a neighbour they did not know well.

When asked about their reluctance for not reporting, 88% felt they should not get involved in other people’s business, while three-quarters felt they would be making matters even worse.

And just over half felt gardaí would not treat the matter seriously enough, according to the first report on people’s attitudes towards domestic abuse based on telephone interviews with just over 2,000 adults.

Cosc has also launched a public awareness campaign, Your Silence Feeds the Violence, to encourage people to take an active role in supporting people experiencing domestic abuse.

The campaign message is that we are all complicit if we allow domestic violence to continue unchallenged.

Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern, who attended the launch of the study in Dublin Castle yesterday, said everyone had a role to play in supporting victims to recover their lives.

“Where we know of, or suspect, a case of domestic abuse we have a responsibility to understand, to be informed and to know where to get expert help,” he said.

He urged people to visit www.cosc.ie for more information if they were worried about someone they knew.

Safe Ireland, formerly known as the National Network of Women’s Refuges and Support Services, welcomed the call for people to take action to support those experiencing domestic violence.

“We know that domestic violence is a serious problem,” said director Sharon O’Halloran. “It is a highly prevalent crime that affects thousands of women and children each year in this country.”

The study found that almost a third of women were worried that they or somebody close to them might become affected by domestic abuse and 28% of men were also concerned.

Just over 70% of those surveyed said they considered domestic abuse against women to be a fairly or very common problem. But far fewer, 42%, consider domestic abuse against men to be common.

More than eight out of 10 people believe women suffer more physical harm than men, while just over half believed women suffered more emotional abuse than men.The statistics

* Just over 70% consider domestic abuse against women to be a fairly or very common problem.

* Eight out of 10 people see the victim’s partner as the most likely perpetrator of domestic abuse.

* More than a third of people who knew a female victim were friends or acquaintances, while 28% were family members and 14% knew them from work.

* Most people disagree that domestic abuse is a private matter that should be dealt with in the family.