Women’s aid: Unable to deal with 1,722 refuge requests last year

ONLY about one quarter of the recommended refuge spaces needed for victims of domestic violence are available, according to the national helpline Women’s Aid.

Sarah Benson, manager of the service, said refuge provision remains inadequate and many women and children are denied access to refuge each year. She said there was a real need for the establishment of new refuges.

Figures from Safe Ireland, which provides support services to victims of domestic violence, show women and children were turned away from domestic violence refuges on more than 1,722 occasions in the last year.