Deirdre Clune TD and Catherine Heaney, Chairwoman of Women’s Aid

Women’s Aid Campaign brings long overdue publicity to issue of Violence against Women – Clune

Fine Gael TD Deirdre Clune has congratulated Women’s Aid for the success of their “16 Days of Action” campaign to highlight the issue of violence against women.

“In the vast majority of Domestic Violence cases the violence takes place behind closed doors, out of sight and all too often out of mind. This has sometimes led to a belief that violence against women is not a serious issue, that it is an aspect of our history rather than our present.”

“The facts that Women’s Aid publicise in their campaign reveal a different story of violence against women in our society:

• 1 in 5 Irish women have experienced domestic violence by a partner or ex-partner
• Since 1996, 146 women have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland and in 50% of resolved cases the woman was killed by a partner or ex-partner
• In 2007, the Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline responded to almost 12,000 calls.
• In the same year, 593 incidents of sexual abuse were disclosed to Helpline support workers including 248 rapes
• 1 in 4 perpetrators of sexual violence against adult women are partners or ex-partners yet there has been only 1 conviction under marital rape legislation since its introduction 18 years ago
• 1,952 women were accommodated in refuges in Ireland in 2006 and during the same year 2,985 children also stayed in refuge.

“Women’s Aid has called for action against domestic violence including more detailed legislation to protect victims, more housing for victims who have fled their homes and more funding for victim services.”

“Domestic Violence in Ireland is a serious problem but it will not be tackled in any meaningful way until it is first recognised as such and this campaign is helping to do that.”

“Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline is 1800 341 900, it is open 7 days a week from 10am to 10pm and offers confidential information, advice, support and understanding to women who are being physically, sexually or mentally abused in their homes.”