Raw deal for male victims of domestic abuse

I REFER to the article entitled ‘Refuge groups want helpline for violent men’ by Michael Brennan (Irish Examiner, Dec 23).

There is nothing new about this idea. In 1999, the Department of Justice funded such a helpline. Despite the availability of State funding and an extensive advertising campaign, this helpline disappeared after a few months, probably due to lack of demand.

According to your report the women’s refuge groups are seeking €200,000 for the helpline and €120,000 for a pilot programme.