Levels of violence against women described as 'worrying'

A conference has heard that there are "worrying levels" of violence against women in Ireland.

The event, launched by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, is aimed at hearing views on how the Government should proceed with its strategy to tackle sexual and domestic assaults.

The conference has heard from both national and international experts, including the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency.

The FRA’s Joanna Goodey said that while the level of gender violence in Ireland is on par with the rest of Europe, there are grounds for concern.

"They are worrying levels of violence - if you compare the 28 member states of the EU, what we find is that women in Ireland are reporting violence more than in other member states to the police and other services."

This may be for a number of reasons - it may be for a number of reasons - it may be because women report when they've experienced a series of violent acts, and they're at the very end of a stage - or process - of violence."