McEntee: Ireland has accepted 'stark' domestic violence figures for too long 

One in three women in Europe have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence; one in 20 have been raped; and two in five have experienced psychological abuse from a current or former partner

Justice Minister Helen McEntee speaks at the launch of the Zero Tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, in June this year. Picture: Maxwells

Ireland has accepted its "stark" domestic violence figures for too long, the justice minister has said.

Helen McEntee gave a run-through of her strategy to combat gender-based violence during an address to the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) on Thursday.

Quoting figures from the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency, she said one in three women in Europe have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime; one in 20 women have been raped; and two in five women have experienced psychological abuse from a current or former partner.

She also quoted "stark, disturbing" figures from An Garda Síochána, which found that domestic abuse was a factor in the majority of murders and manslaughters last year.

"We have to stop accepting these stark figures," she said, saying this has been going on for 'far too long'.

Attitudes need to change

She said attitudes around domestic violence still need to change in homes, Whatsapp groups, and online and that this is part of a "zero-tolerance" approach.

Ms McEntee said she has been asked what a zero-tolerance approach means.

Is it a Rudi Giuliani 'tough on crime', she was asked, referring to the former mayor of New York's zero-tolerance approach to policing crimes of any type.

Her zero-tolerance strategy aims to double the available refuge spaces across the country, she said, as well as teach children in an "age-appropriate" way from an early age about respect and what healthy relationships are.

"The idea that children are shielded from this is simply nonsense. We have to acknowledge that and work and engage with children," Ms McEntee said.

Training and supports

Ms McEntee said victims need to be supported when they come forward and effective training needs to be provided for gardaí, the courts system, and the health service staff who engage with victims.

She also spoke about increasing maximum sentencing, so that victims are encouraged to come forward, and aiming to prevent domestic violence from happening in the first place.

"I don't think we'll ever get to a situation where we can say domestic violence has been completely eradicated, but we can certainly do our best to prevent it, to minimise it as much as possible.

"That really does require changing hearts, minds, and attitudes right across society."

The justice minister said there is still a view in Ireland that domestic violence is a domestic issue that should be dealt with in the home, including in An Garda Síochána, but that "huge strides" have been made to change that.