Cormac O’Keeffe: 'Forever' grief requires State support for life

Trauma and grief caused by domestic homicides are for life, according to a new study — and support for the bereaved should too be for life, writes Cormac O'Keeffe

The new study documents both the understandable devastation for those left behind but also the less known and dispiriting tasks they are expected to shoulder as well.

THE grief and trauma are “forever”. That much is clear from the study of domestic murders. The report, commissioned by the Government, also examines familicide, a subset of domestic murders where a spouse murders not only his or her partner or ex-partner but also one or more of their children.

Families of victims told researchers that once the initial emergency response has been deployed they then “must cope alone”.