Women should not be forced to live in fear of their partners

WE need a zero-tolerance approach to violence against women and this will require all of us, as a society, to commit to change and to say enough is enough.

In Ireland, as well as elsewhere, we see male violence being perpetrated against women, and women fearful because of the threat of violence. We know that most assaults on women go unreported, that many continue to be harassed as they go about their daily life, and that more live under intimidatory control, hidden behind doors or in silence.

The scale of violence against women is great and it comes in

different and insidious forms such as domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, stalking, prostitution and trafficking.

There are some men in Ireland today who believe that women should be controlled by and submissive to them, and that violence and coercive control is an acceptable way of achieving those aims.

Changing this requires a

dramatic change in the views those men have of women and in what they see as acceptable behaviour.

Practical changes should include requiring all transport services to have security on board and a zero-tolerance policy towards any type of harassment towards women.

Give women at risk the right to information. Men convicted of violence against women should be placed on a register of domestic violence offenders which should be accessible to women who are in a relationship and have concerns about their partner.

We know that what we have done to date to protect women from the threat and fear of violence is not enough.

The time is long overdue for this to change. Too many women have suffered.