Domestic violence - Oireachtas must protect the abused

It was largely as a result of the Irish Examiner’s series on domestic violence that the Justice Committee of the Dáil held a hearing on domestic violence yesterday.

The aim of the meeting was to highlight the problem in order to create an awareness of its extent and to examine better ways for the legal system to protect victims. This should help to place the issue at the top of the political agenda.

Domestic violence affects people in all walks of life, from all social classes and economic circumstances. All too often this violence is hidden because of embarrassment, with the whole thing has being treated as a taboo subject.

Because of this silence, victims frequently make the mistake of thinking that they are responsible for what has been happening. They do not realise that many others have similar problems through no fault of their own. Research has indicated that at least one in five women experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse during their lifetime.

In a great many instances the perpetrator is actually someone that the victim once trusted, which makes the crime all the more horrific. The most frightening statistic is the fact that 109 women have been killed violently in the past 10 years, and 72 of those were killed in their own homes.

Calls to Women’s Aid have risen by 73% over the past decade, but statistics indicate that reports to gardaí have fallen by 50%. This suggests a disturbing drop in confidence in the gardaí, and highlights the need for the Oireachtas to strengthen legislation to protect victims.