Number of women turned away by domestic violence refuge doubles due to lack of space

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has said that the Government's new Family Justice Strategy 'will develop a system which puts the family and children at the centre of its work'. Picture: Brian Lawless

A domestic violence refuge has revealed that the number of women it could not accommodate last year due to lack of beds doubled, and the number of children it could not take in rose by almost 60%.

Manager of Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services, Sinead Smith, said it was unable to accommodate 195 children and 242 women last year, adding that those levels have continued throughout 2022.