Ms Christina Sherlock:

To go back to the point about Covid-19, it concentrated minds. As we were all told to go home and stay safe from this pandemic, organisations like Women’s Aid and Safe Ireland members were able to say that is all fine and well but what happens when home is not safe? There was a light bulb moment then. This was an issue that existed before Covid-19 and it will continue after it.

I return to Deputy Kenny’s comments a while back who talked about the prevalence and numbers. We know that all of the figures we have talked about here, the calls to Women’s Aid and the admissions to refuges, are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the prevalence of this issue throughout the country. Some research was done a good number of years ago, which is the case for most research in Ireland on this topic, which showed that approximately 7% of victims contacted a helpline and local service. When I say it is tip of the iceberg, it really is. The numbers we have presented to the committee are shocking. It brings it back to one of our recommendations on the need to do some whole-scale prevalence research for Ireland. From that will flow the information we need on the prevalence and types of abuse, including who perpetrates it and why. This will help feed into both service provision and those education pieces that need to happen at a very early age.

For Women’s Aid, we have been working on a campaign that was specifically targeting 18 to 25-year-olds around recognising the signs and the red flags of abusive relationships in the hope younger people, if they became aware earlier, might be able to leave those situations and not become embroiled in marriages or long-term partnerships with children etc. that can trap someone even further.

We know we need to go younger and this needs to be an integrated part of the curriculum in secondary schools and, perhaps, even in primary schools where we are talking about the issues of respect, equality, respecting consent and others. If we do it right, it is to be hoped we will create a generation where there is not this inequality or attitude that allows domestic violence to be perpetrated.