Silent helplines a sad reflection on our society

YOU report (October 12) that “more than 24,000 victims called the Women’s Aid helplines last year, but less than half of them got an answer because the organisation lacked the funds to have the telephone lines properly attended”.

This made for sombre reading. And your comment that “any society that tolerates such conduct should question its right to call itself civilised” is a point well made.

This state of affairs exists at a time when some proven tax-evaders were recently re-elected to the Dáil and the proportion of women deputies declined from 13% to 12%.

All of this seems to support your case that we are indeed a morally challenged society.

It also indicates a level of stupidity in that we do not see that, as your editorial said, we are “incubating problems for society in the future”.

Anthony Leavy

1 Shielmartin Drive

Sutton

Dublin 13