Let’s end our ambivalence - 20,000 women report abuse.

The Harvey Weinstein scandal confirmed, as if it was necessary, that some men abuse their power to prey on women. That the President of America boasts “I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything,” and buys porn stars’ silence over fleeting encounters, the ideas of respect and equality are challenged in the most grievous way. When privileged young men, who should know far better, treat a woman as a piece of meat it is hard not to think that all today’s talk about respecting women is just lip-service.

Yesterday’s report from Women’s Aid does little to dispel that impression. It received almost 20,000 reports of abuse last year. It also reported that more than a third of complainants found gardaí “unhelpful”. This suggests an official indifference to this cultural malaise that gives comfort to those who abuse women. It also makes it even more difficult than it is for a victim to seek the protection of the State, a protection that, even if you recognise that there are two sides to every story, should be automatic.