Victims need support - Cllr

A motion calling for up to 10 days paid leave to be available to people suffering domestic abuse was introduced at Louth County Council’s December meeting

Councillor Ruairi Ó Murchú said: ‘ This time off is necessary so that people can access legal, medical and court services. It also provides time to source alternative accommodation – which is increasingly difficult in the current housing crisis.’

He told the meeting that ‘ stigma, shame and fear’ has led to domestic violence being under reported.

‘One in five women will experience violence in their own home, and forty-one per cent of Irish women know someone in their circle of family or friends who have experienced intimate partner violence.’

Cllr Ó Murchú said: ‘ Domestic violence also follows victims into the workplace. Co-workers may be aware that a colleague is being abused, but without a workplace policy, are unsure how best to support them.

He added that managers ‘need guidance on how to recognise the signs of domestic abuse and how to respond to a staff member’s disclosure.’

He told the meeting that domestic abuse is ‘a problem across our community and the solutions will involve the whole of our society.’

Cllr Emma Coffey said that ‘stigma, shame and fear’ often led to people not reporting incidents of domestic violence, especially to their employer in case it is placed on their personnel file.

But she said that Louth County Council were limited in what they could do.

She said that anyone who had suffered assault, or psychological trauma would be able to access a medical cert from their doctor.

She said that in Louth it was fortunate there were two Women’s Aid refuges, one in Drogheda, one in Dundalk, as in some neighbouring counties there were none.

But she added that there remained ‘ huge difficulties with access to emergency accommodation, particularly at Christmas time, when many children will be among those waiting to be housed.’

Cllr. Coffey said she felt the local authority should be lobbying the government for more funds to provide emergency accommodation for people who have experienced domestic violence.