Do more to end attacks on women - Domestic violence in Ireland

There are may ways in which a society can judge itself. 

There are many ways in which one can decide if it’s decent, if it’s a genuinely caring culture, if it’s a place where its weakest members feel safe. How a society’s most vulnerable citizens are treated, how it welcomes or rejects immigrants, how it treats minority groups, or how it discharges its responsibilities to the natural world essential for life on this small, finite planet are all revealing, accurate criteria.

So too is how a society confronts domestic violence — the shorthand of our time for attacks on women or children. Does it see domestic violence as unacceptable in every circumstance? Does it challenge its causes and perpetrators? Or, does it regard domestic violence as an inevitable consequence of human dysfunction and proclivity for violence? Maybe, like some societies, it regards domestic violence as a natural expression of male — usually, but not always — dominance? Does it apply the resources needed to protect those who are regularly abused in their homes? Does it sanction the aggressors in convincing, effective way? Does it make its opposition to attacks on women or children proactive through funded policies and readily available services?