Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach is aware, the number of people who contacted the domestic violence support service, Women’s Aid, increased by more than 40% last year. A similar concerning pattern is reflected in local services such as in west Cork where the West Cork Women Against Violence Project has seen an increase of more than 40% in calls and reports.

The Istanbul Convention specifies that there is one refuge space per 10,000 people. However, in Ireland we provide one refuge space per 10,000 women, leaving us with 50% less than the recommended number of refuge spaces. Given all of the very obvious reasons and the new worrying rise in reports of domestic violence, will the Taoiseach commit to fully complying with the Istanbul Convention?

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