Despite Government reforms aimed at combatting domestic violence,1 many victims remain in abusive situations because they simply have nowhere to go to escape an abusive partner. A European Union Fundamental Rights Agency survey on violence against women found that 14 per cent of women in Ireland have experienced physical violence by a current or ex-partner, six percent have experienced sexual violence while 31 per cent have experienced psychological violence.2 Between 2008 and 2012, domestic violence service-providers reported an average fall in core funding from the Health Service Executive of 14 per cent while at the same time they experienced a 36 per cent increase in demand for their services.3 In 2012, Women’s Aid received 16,200 disclosures of abuse4 and almost 8500 women and 3600 children received support from a domestic violence service.5 However, it is estimated that 3470 requests could not be met as the required spaces were not available.6 There are 20 women’s refuges in the State providing 138 spaces, falling far short of the 459 refuge places recommended to Ireland by the Council of Europe Taskforce to Combat Violence Against Women.7 Financial barriers also persist in relation to access to longer-term accommodation, social welfare and civil legal aid.
Currently, people in dating relationships are not eligible for protection or safety orders under the Domestic Violence Act in 2011.8 There has been a year-on-year increase in the number of domestic violence applications coming before the courts since 2010.9 In 2013, there were 13,275 applications under domestic violence legislation, up 5 per cent since 2012.10
In its 2002 Concluding Observations, the Committee asked specifically for an update on the domestic violence pilot intervention project. Paragraph 638 of the State report refers to the operation of the pilot project until 2007 and that Cosc - The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence – is using a report on the project to inform its work. The project lost its funding in 2007 and ceased operating despite its success and widespread support from frontline services.11
The baseline prevalence study on sexual violence, the Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland (SAVI) Report was published in 2002; although it has informed policy in relation to sexual violence, it is considerably out of date. In order to develop clear comparative analysis, a SAVI II Report is required to evaluate changes over the past decade and provide an evidence base to inform contemporary responses to the issue of sexual violence. There is also a clear need for more data on the nature and extent of domestic violence in Ireland.
FLAC urges the Committee to recommend that the State:
Provide adequate resources for victims of domestic violence to ensure that they are not forced to return to violent situations and are supported to leave abusive relationships.
Allocate resources to fund a follow-up Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland (SAVI) Report to establish the nature and extent of sexual abuse and violence in Ireland.
Prioritise within the work of COSC (The National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence) the collection of disaggregated data on domestic violence.
1 This includes the establishment in 2007 of COSC, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence; the development of a National Strategy; and the publication of a number of high-level policy documents. However, the State has not ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Violence Against Women (known as the Istanbul Convention).
2 EU Fundamental Rights Agency, ‘Physical, sexual and psychological violence visualisation: At a glance, country : Ireland, compare with : EU average - FRA gender-based violence against women survey dataset, 2012’ available at: http://bit.ly/EUfraGBVsurvey2012 [accessed 26 August 2014].
3 Safe Ireland (2014) Safety in a time of crisis: Priorities for protecting women and children impacted by domestic violence, Dublin: Safe Ireland, p.6.
4 Women’s Aid (2013) Annual Report 2012, Dublin: Women’s Aid, p.9.
5 Safe Ireland (2014) Safety in a time of crisis: Priorities for protecting women and children impacted by domestic violence, Dublin: Safe Ireland, p.6.
6 Safe Ireland (2014) Safety in a time of crisis: Priorities for protecting women and children impacted by domestic violence, Dublin: Safe Ireland, p.6.
7 Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) (2014) Country Report 2013, Vienna: WAVE, p.113.
8 Women’s Aid (2014) Women’s Aid input into FLAC Shadow Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Dublin: Women’s Aid, p.6.
9 Figures taken from Courts Service Annual Reports 2009-2013 available at: http://bit.ly/CourtsServiceAnnualReports [accessed 26 August 2014].
10 Courts Service (2013) Annual Report 2012, Dublin: Courts Service, p.28.
11 Women’s Aid (2014) Women’s Aid input into FLAC Shadow Report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Dublin: Women’s Aid, p.6.
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