Women and children turned away from refuges.

THE number of times women had to be turned away from refuges last year was more than 50% higher than the number of women actually accommodated, figures show.

“Ireland is now gambling recklessly with the lives of women and children seeking support for domestic violence,” said SAFE Ireland, the representative network of domestic violence services.

Latest stark statistics show that more than 1,534 women and 2,334 children were accommodated in refuges last year — up 43% on numbers since 2007.