Domestic abuse: how men lose
Minister for Equality Frank Fahy responded immediately by stating that more resources would be made available.
This is surprising given that the minister and his officials have informed Amen that his Department does not provide funding for helplines.
At present, Amen provides a helpline and a very limited service for male victims, with a minimal contribution from Government.
The service is effectively subsidised by voluntary work, in some cases at considerable expense in terms of earnings foregone by those who provide the service.
Services for female victims get in excess of €20 million per annum from various Government departments - services for male victims get less than 1% of this amount. At a meeting with Amen on September 21 last, Mr Fahy said it was highly unlikely that any ongoing Government funding would be made available to provide supports for male victims of domestic abuse.
The minister has stated that he is giving the additional €70,000 in response to statistics released by Women’s Aid on October 4.
On July 5 last, the minister launched a report on domestic violence published by the National Crime Council (NCC) in association with the ESRI. The notable statistics of that report are:
* 15% of women and 6% of men suffer severe domestic abuse.
* 29% of women and 26% of men suffer domestic abuse when severe and minor abuse are combined.
* 13% of women and 13% of men suffer physical abuse
* 29% of women (one in three) and only 5% of men (one in 20) report to the gardaí.
* 49% of admissions to women’s refuges are Travellers (according to the 2002 census, Travellers account for just 0.6% of the entire population)
* Of those turned away from refuges, 46% were for reasons other than the refuges being full.
In the course of his speech the minister said the NCC report would be relevant to an examination of the needs of agencies working in this sector.
Given that services for male victims receive less than 1% of the funding allocated to female victims, it is clear that the first priority in responding to the NCC report should be the provision of adequate funding to maintain and expand services for male victims.
Yet the minister’s first response is to say that nothing will be provided for services for male victims while he will increase the already generous funding for female victims.
The minister’s prompt and positive response to statistics produced by a feminist organisation contrasts sharply with his negative response to the needs identified by statistics produced by an organisation under the aegis of his own department (the NCC).
It raises questions as to who controls and dictates Government policy.
Mary T Cleary
Amen
St Anne’s Resource Centre
Railway Street
Navan
Co Meath
