Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

If anybody has looked at the Women's Aid website on the 16 facts for the 16 days, they are, indeed, stark. One-in-two women murdered in Ireland is killed by her partner or ex-partner. One-in-three women experiences emotional abuse from a partner or ex-partner. One-in-eight women is abused while pregnant. Ireland has only one third of the refuge space required for this outrageous problem. Children experience domestic abuse. Violence against women, Women's Aid finishes with, is a human rights issue. Like many areas, we are failing poorly on our human rights record.

We also have a situation where nine out of the Twenty-six Counties in the so-called Republic do not have a refuge. Women have to travel for secure refuge, uprooting children from school and taking themselves away from their own immediate friends and support networks.

The number of unmet requests for refuge services in 2018 was 3,256. I do not have the figure for 2019. With only 21 refuges in the country, we provide a mere 31% of that recommended in the Istanbul Convention.

My cousin worked for almost 30 years as an assistant for Women's Aid. She was appointed to take women and their children to the courts. She retired recently. She said that the saddest aspect for her was when she left the job she was increasingly sending women back into the arms of their abusers, the reason being that there are no homes for them to go to. There are not enough refuge spaces and the housing crisis has exacerbated this tragedy. For people who work with them, and more for people who suffer under it, this is a terrible tragedy. It was not like that 20 years ago. It is now exacerbated by the terrible housing crisis that we have.

I will mention two particular instances. County Carlow does not have a refuge. Women's Aid states that an independent report launched last year and commissioned by Carlow county development was highly critical of the lack of a refuge. Tusla is refusing to acknowledge the need for a refuge in Carlow and is instead advocating for safe accommodation. How can that be acceptable, considering the national deficit of refuges and an independent report which is stating otherwise? Tusla stated that in the case of Carlow-Kilkenny needs analysis there are a number of recommendations one of which was the provision of additional domestic violence safe accommodation and that it is important to note the distinction between safe accommodation and refuge accommodation which are two different models of service provision and in this respect the needs analysis did not identify or recommend the provision of refuge accommodation. Safe accommodation is where a woman can go in the middle of the night, which of course is badly needed, but it does not offer longer term secure accommodation for women or children. Women in Carlow who can access that sort of accommodation have to go to the Amber centre in Kilkenny. The reason I raised it is because I was asked to do so. Fr. Peter McVerry will be attending a rally there this weekend. It will be taking place at the fountain at 2 p.m. That rally is to advocate for the establishment of a refuge dedicated to Carlow town.

Something our Councillor Adrienne Wallace pointed out to me when she wrote and asked me to raise this was the €60 million of funding that was ring-fenced for children in need and handed back by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Zappone, to the State leaving 6,000 children without a social worker. It might seem a moot point but it is directly connected. I also have a letter from a former worker in the Dóchas family centre in Liscarne in Clondalkin made redundant due to - guess what - funding issues. She worked directly with parents and children and often the families were referred to her due to protection concerns. Most of the clients who attend the centre have addiction issues but due to the significant loss of funding, as funding was withdrawn from the centre, two or three social workers were made redundant. However, the need has not gone away. In one of the most deprived areas of the city, the need still exists. The Dóchas centre should be fully staffed and funded and providing for the people of Clondalkin. In his response, the Minister might explain not only that this is an accountancy issue but where is the morality in €60 million that was dedicated and ring-fenced for children in need being handed back by Tusla to the State when there are over 6,000 children who need social workers and there is only one third of the provision for refuges for victims of domestic violence in this country?

Like Deputy Coppinger, I was inspired by the feminist uprising that is taking place from India to Chile, to France, to Italy, to Spain and I hope spills over here. Women are now demanding an end not only to domestic violence, but to the disregard of their needs and the funding that is required to help empower them and their children.

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