Domestic violence agency 'doomed' if no survivors are included, warns NWCI

The National Women’s Council of Ireland has says that the agency in its current form will “repeat the mistakes of the past”.

Orla O'Connor, director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, said the agency of the proposed board of must have at least two members of civil society organisations on it. Picture: Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie

A new agency to tackle gender-based violence is doomed to fail unless survivors are fully included on it, the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) has said.

The statutory agency to tackle domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV) was among the measures promised in the wake Ashling Murphy’s death, and it is due to be up and running next year.

As well as overseeing the implementation of a zero-tolerance strategy, the agency will be responsible for a “dramatic increase” in refuge spaces.

However, the NWCI says that the agency in its current form will “repeat the mistakes of the past” as it does not fully include survivors or civil society groups, and does not have the power to oblige Government departments to act.

“We are concerned that the current bill does not clearly outline the mechanisms to ensure meaningful collaboration of civil society organisations in the performance of the agency’s functions,” NWCI director Orla O’Connor will warn politicians later this week.

She will tell the justice committee that, if the agency is to be effective, a whole-of-Government approach involving all relevant departments, agencies, and bodies is necessary, and strong legislation, accompanied by a recognition of their responsibilities, is required.

“Without this in place, inter-agency collaboration co-ordinated by the new agency will be challenging and we risk repeating errors from the past, such as fragmentation of policy development and service functions to oblige all public service bodies to fulfil obligations under agreed DSGBV strategies, policy, and legislation,” Ms O’Connor will state on Tuesday.

NWC wants the bill, which underpins the agency, to ensure collaboration with civil society and victim-survivors at every stage of its functions, including guidelines, protocols, resources, funding, and training of professionals. Ms O’Connor also said the board of must have at least two members of civil society organisations on it.

“We further call for the full composition of the board to reflect the diverse needs and experiences of all women survivors of DSGBV, including Traveller and Roma women, migrant women, and disabled women,” she said. 

"This would provide for a more effective role for civil society — including victim-survivors of gender-based violence.

“It is critical that the current bill is amended to provide for an agency that can support the delivery of a comprehensive and coherent whole-of-Government approach to tackle DSGBV.”