'Glut' of men to address their domestic violence behaviour post-pandemic 

The impact of the pandemic — through reduced court appearances and limited interaction with social workers and other professionals — had a knock-on effect on the number of men coming forward to address their violent behaviour.

Organisations who work with perpetrators of domestic violence expect a rise in referrals, as the Covid-19 pandemic reduced the number of men referred for treatment and hampered efforts to complete therapy programmes.

Move Ireland, which operates centres around the country, said provisional data showed a rise in the number of referrals to its programmes last year, following a dip in 2020 following the onset of the pandemic.