Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

How does the Minister intend to address the issues raised in the Women's Aid report, Unheard and Uncounted, and in particular the call for an urgent audit of the criminal and family law system to better develop a process to deliver safety and a consistent experience for domestic violence victims. One of the key aspects of the report is that each case is taken on its own in the criminal justice system. A person may be a perpetrator of domestic violence and have numerous convictions but each case is considered separately.

Criminal behaviour is not taken account in the family law court. A person may have a conviction for attacking and beating a woman and may end up in the family law court and be given access to the children without any note being taken of the fact that the person has a criminal record. This is putting women in danger and many of the issues raised in this report need to be addressed urgently.

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