Friday 22 October, 2021
CEO of Women’s Aid Sarah Benson says the judiciary and other legal professionals need more training on how best to handle domestic violence cases.
Some 29,717 people contacted the domestic violence support service last year.
Women’s Aid has today launched a new campaign to support young women experiencing abuse during the pandemic.
Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said she is “very concerned” about the impact of another lockdown in January.
Research also found that 1 in 2 young women abused by a partner experiences abuse online.
The charity said that the number of calls it responded to rose significantly during the first lockdown.
Niamh Ní Dhomhnaill has said there is still a lot of stigma when it comes to speaking publicly about domestic and sexual abuse.
Women reported being beaten, strangled, burned and raped, and there was a spike in calls during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There was also a spike in the number of visits to the charity’s website.
The adverts depict the reality for victims of domestic abuse when their home is no longer a safe place.
Gardaí have stressed that support for victims of domestic abuse victims will not stop because of the pandemic.
Women’s Aid has reported a ‘heightened state of alert’ due to the current health emergency.
The Women’s Aid 24-hour national freephone helpline is available on 1800 341 900.
Coercive control occurs when a current or ex-partner knowingly and persistently engaged in behaviour that is controlling or intimidating.
There has been more than 200 cases of femicide in Ireland since records began 23 years ago.
The vast majority of victims are women and over half are abused in their own home.
The charity is calling for greater protections within the law system for children in particular.
Most women who experience severe abuse in intimate relationships first do so when they are under 25.
The UN’s international day for the elimination of violence against women starts today.
There’s some confusion around where LGBT people in domestic abuse situations can turn to for help – here’s some clarification.
Murder is never a ‘crime of passion’, domestic homicide expert Dr Jane Monckton Smith explains.
The incident involved Roxanne Pallett and Ryan Thomas.
‘There are clear warning signs.’
The legislation gives extra support to survivors.
A Women’s Aid report analysed the figures on the number of women who reported abuse last year.
Up to last year, if a patient qualified under their spouse or partner’s benefit, they simply had to sign a form at the clinic.
Women’s Aid says many women and children will be living in fear and walking on eggshells over the festive period.
Women’s Aid is calling for tougher punishments for abusers.
Child protection and safety should be prioritised in all custody and access proceedings, writes Margaret Martin.
Almost 4,000 calls were made to the charity reporting child abuse.
Clodagh died with her children Liam, 14, Niall 11, and six-year-old Ryan, on 29 August by murder-suicide in their Cavan home.
Sixteen children have also died violent deaths in the twenty-year period.
Around 300,000 men and women in Ireland have been victims of severe abuse by a partner – 70% of people say it’s a common problem in Ireland.
The guide was launched by Women’s Aid and Facebook.
The service is now 24/7, due to increased demand.
With recent high profile domestic violence cases, Margaret Martin of Women’s Aid reflects on society’s tendency to judge, shame and distrust victims.
Recent cases have highlighted the gaps in the law around cyber harassment.
Women’s Aid received 22,341 reports of domestic abuse against women and children in 2015.
At the beginning he was nice, making sure I got home safely and on time for curfew, but things changed, writes an anonymous contributor.
Women’s Aid will field calls 24 hours a day from 2016 onwards.
