Domestic abuse now the ‘shadow pandemic’ - SAFE

THE need for ‘vital clarity’ on the supports available to organisations helping women and children experiencing domestic abuse has been highlighted by Women’s Aid Dundalk.

The call came after shocking figures from Safe Ireland, the national agency for domestic violence, showed that nearly 3500 women and 600 children contacted a domestic violence service for the first time during the first six months of Covid 19.

Women Aid Dundalk, which is one of 39 services affiliated to Safe Ireland, have highlighted how job losses, remote working, self isolation and other measures related to the lockdown are already having an impact on victims. Many women and children already endured being locked in with abusers during the first lockdown, and are now facing the same suffocating circumstances with their abusers

‘ The main message coming from the Safe Ireland report is the prevalence of incidents of domestic violence, which have intensified by Covid-19 which locked women and children down with their abusers,’ said Megan Bellew, Support Worker at Women’s Aid Dundalk.

‘It highlights the strain that domestic violence services are faced with, and not just by Covid-19, but for many years before this also.’

She added that all of the services have had to be ‘ very creative, and pull out all the stops’ in order to be able to respond to the crisis. ‘Services nationwide, want to provide the best support we can for women and children, but as the report has said we need to be supported and resources adequately.’

She added: ‘Certainly throughout the pandemic, domestic violence has been name checked as a priority by government, which is fantastic. But although the concerns have been raised this is not being backed up by resources.’

Women’s Aid Dundalk, and all of the services across the country, are calling for clarity around the budget, and how the government plans to respond to the ‘ huge problem’ said Megan.

She added that there have been calls for the roll out of a funding national development plan, which could be led by Safe Ireland.

Women’s Aid also plan to make contact with all of the Louth TD’s and Oireachtas members as part of their calls for greater clarity around support and infrastructure.

Louth Senator Erin McGreehan, who is on the board of Women’s Aid Dundalk also raised the issue in the Seanad. ‘ The numbers that have been reported by Safe Ireland are frightening and shed light on a concerning level of unseen abuse in Ireland.’

‘ The Programme for Government includes a commitment to conducting an audit on how responsibility for domestic sexual and gender-based violence is segmented across different government agencies. I am calling for the Minister to come and update the house on the progress of this report so far. There is currently no single minister responsible for domestic violence, which is a situation that causes untold difficulties for NGOs and service providers. The resources available are also a problem - there is currently not enough refuge capacity to support women in need of it.’