Domestic abuse up ‘fivefold’ in recession

The number of men seeking help with domestic abuse has surged in the past two years, primarily due to the impact of the recession.

John Griffin, chairman of Move (Men Overcoming Violence), a treatment group for abusive men, has offices across the country and its Cork-based national chairman said the recession had led to a spike in the number of cases of domestic violence and people seeking help.

John Griffin said the number of people contacting Move had increased “four- to five-fold” in the past 18 months to two years, with particularly sharp rises in urban areas.

The growing demand cannot be met with existing resources, leading to what Mr Griffin called “a huge waiting list”.

“Without exaggerating it has gone up four to five times in the past 18 months to two years, particularly in Dublin and Cork.”

Mr Griffin said the impact of the recession on many families had led to serious domestic issues that might otherwise not have arisen.

“Where people might have had the resources to manage before, whether if was going out for a meal or a drink or just getting out of the house, they don’t have that anymore,” he said.

“Another pressure is unemployment and that men, especially, are in the house a lot more. That can lead to stress and anxiety.”

He said up to 65% of clients contacting Move have acted violently in the home but, in addition to the waiting list for assessment, only clients displaying serious commitment to dealing with their problems are allowed on to a programme.

Clients can enter a 26-week programme or a rolling open-ended programme, with Move seeing the perspective client, then his partner, and then the perspective client again. The service is voluntary and Mr Griffin said the issue of the wanting list needed to be addressed.

“You can imagine the frustration if someone gets up the courage to engage with a service and then to be told that it could be six to eight weeks before an assessment,” he said.

Meetings at the Cork centre take place on Mondays and while up to 10 people may contact the centre in a given week, only two or three men can be assessed each week.

Mr Griffin said junior minister Kathleen Lynch, FG, and Labour TD Ciaran Lynch been very supportive of the organisation but the “same issues persist” regarding resources for treatment.

Move has centres in Cork, Dublin, Wicklow, Tralee, Limerick, Athlone, and Navan.

Client figures from Move and other groups dealing with domestic violence are forwarded to Cosc, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence.