3,000 children saw mothers raped, beaten, or threatened

About 3,000 children saw their mothers threatened, beaten, or raped in the family home last year.

The domestic abuse support group Women’s Aid said thousands of women across Ireland were living in a constant state of fear that the next attack would result in serious injury or death.

Its director Margaret Martin said yesterday: “In 2011, women disclosed that they were punched, slapped, kicked, held down, strangled, and beaten with household items.