Call for €30m to help victims

Tough new anti-domestic violence laws will only be effective if the Government comes up with resources to match their scope, support groups have warned.

Moves by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to bring in fresh legislation aimed at making access to barring orders easier, and protecting victims from intimidation in court, have been broadly welcomed, but one leading organisation said an extra €30m needed to go into services after years of cuts.

Margaret Martin of Women’s Aid warned that only a third of the shelters needed were available to victims, a situation which forces women to sleep in cars with their children and makes them vulnerable to having to return to unsafe environments with abusive partners.