The importance of providing information for those who suffer domestic violence cannot be overstated. They need to know that information services are available. The national steering committee, chaired by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Dea, has run tremendous awareness campaigns and has sent out a great deal of information in relation to the services that are available. In the past, domestic violence was considered a private matter and not one for legislation. A family row in a rural area was kept indoors as there was a pride factor – it would be considered that one had let the family down if one reported one's experiences of domestic violence. I am sure that a great deal of hardship was endured by many women who were afraid, perhaps as a result of their pride, to let it be known that there was a problem in their homes.