Male crime victims also need support

IN March of this year a Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime was set up by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell.

It was to devise an appropriate support framework for the victims of crime and to disburse funding for victim support assistance measures.

In April the commission sought applications for funding from organisations providing services for victims of crime. Over 60 applications were received.

On June 15 the commission announced that two organisations were to receive funding. They are Women’s Aid, which is to receive €28,000, and the Rape Crisis Network, which is to receive €50,000.

In both cases the money has been granted to assist in providing a court accompaniment service for victims of violence. According to a spokesperson for the commission further allocations will be made following a meeting of the commission on June 27.

Amen, the support group for male victims of domestic violence, also applied to the commission for funding to provide a court accompaniment service, but to date has not been allocated anything.

Given that the commission intends soon to decide on further allocations, the question arises as to why it has given preferential treatment to these two well-funded organisations. State funding for services for violence against women in 2004 included almost €14m from the Department of Health, over €2m from the Department of the Environment and approx €900,000 from the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Source: Dáil questions, April 12, 2005).

These figures do not include additional funding from other departments such as Social and Family Affairs or the Health Service Executive, or local authorities. Funding for male victims is negligible despite the fact that they, too, need such support. It would appear to be another case of giving to the ‘haves’ and ignoring the ‘have-nots.’

Mary T Cleary

Amen

St Anne’s Resource Centre

Railway Street

Navan

Co Meath