Extra €6.8m in funding for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence announced

 Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said the funding will increase the ability of organisations to support victims.

An extra €6.8m in funding for domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence services will be rolled out next year to meet “acute service demands” in the sector.

It includes a 6% increase in funding to all domestic and sexual violence services funded by Tusla to address rising cost pressures.

The funding will also go towards supporting organisations to provide greater coverage in rural areas and for children’s support services.

Some €900,000 of the funding for sexual violence services is available to meet the needs of younger people and to address geographical gaps in provision, while further funding will be made available for safe accommodation as envisaged under the third national strategy on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence launched earlier this year.

The funding brings Tusla’s budget for these services to €37m for 2023. The agency will be in touch with relevant organisations directly with details on how to apply for the funding.

Awareness-raising programmes

Separate to that, the Department of Justice has allocated a further €6m for other measures to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence through awareness-raising programmes and targeted intervention programmes to hold perpetrators accountable and work to prevent future reoffending.

Further funding of €5.8m is also in place to promote and assist the development of specific support services for victims of crime within the criminal justice system, including victims of domestic and sexual crime.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said: “In general terms the funding announced today will increase the ability of organisations on the frontline to support victims, which is especially important given the rise in those seeking help.

“It is my intention that every person who needs a refuge space will have access to one, and this extra €6.8m for Tusla will be used to maintain existing services, to address existing acute demand, and for the enhancement and development of new services.”