Surge in calls from women suffering emotional abuse

A SUPPORT group for women who experience domestic violence has seen a surge in calls from women suffering emotional abuse.

Ann O’Mahony, co-ordinator of Cork-based Mna Feasa, said figures were up more than 20% from 2008 in the first eight months of 2009.

This is broadly in line with other domestic violence services.

Ms O’Mahony said the service dealt with about 1,000 women last year, most of whom were suffering ongoing emotional abuse in the home place.

She said there was a feeling that the recession had greatly added to the problem.

“There are a lot more pressures on families. People are living in homes they cannot sell. They are forced to live under the one roof.

“And there is a lot of drinking at home going on. People are out of work and partners are together in the home a lot more.”

Ms O’Mahony said the women using their service would be threatened by partners, degraded and put down and said men used the threat of what might happen.

Ms O’Mahony said the most dangerous time in a woman’s life was if or when she decided to leave a man, or bar him from the family home.

“The man is losing control at this point and research has shown this is when the woman is most in danger,” she said.

More than half of the women murdered in Ireland over the last 14 years have been killed by their current or former partner, with many killed at the point of, or after, leaving a relationship.

Ms O’Mahony said women often stayed in abusive relationships because of children and because they did not want to break up the family unit.

“For a woman to leave it has to be unbearable. And at that she may end up going back because she has nowhere else to go.”

Mna Feasa meets with women on a one to one basis or in a group setting. It offers a court accompaniment service. It also runs a school programme and public education.

The group helpline operates on Mondays 10am-12 noon and 2-4pm, and on Wednesdays 10am-12 noon on 021 211757.