Kate Walsh (Progressive Democrats)

I would like to welcome our guests in the Gallery. In any discussion concerning domestic abuse, one of the first issues to be mindful of is that domestic violence knows no class. It is not confined to any one socio-economic group and is as likely to happen in Dublin as in any other part of the country. Educated, literate, wealthy women are just as likely to be victims of domestic abuse as the most socially deprived and economically vulnerable in our society.

Any discussion on domestic violence or possible courses of action must always be guided by the knowledge that domestic violence is a classless crime perpetrated on females. I use the word "females" deliberately because domestic violence is predominantly suffered by women. It happens in working class homes, middle class suburbia and among the rich.

Another important point is that domestic violence is widespread in Ireland. Associations working on the ground, such as Women's Aid, estimate that one in five Irish women will experience abusive behaviour from a partner at some stage in her life. I came across this incredible statistic while preparing for this debate and I had to read it again and again because it is so difficult to believe that one fifth or 20% of the female population will experience abuse. On a personal level, this means that every person in this Chamber knows someone who has been a victim of domestic violence. They may not have told us about it, we may not be aware of it and would be very shocked to hear of it, but it is a fact.

This leads to another important element of the problem — the silence that surrounds domestic abuse. Much domestic violence stays underground. Many victims keep quiet, suffer the abuse and do not take action. Many women who suffer abuse are afraid to seek help for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are afraid of encouraging another bout of violence. Many of them believe that the violence is their own fault or that they did something to encourage it. It is almost as if they deserved it. They feel that to report it to the Garda would only result in another beating.

The stigma associated with domestic abuse encourages this shroud of silence. Some victims are afraid to seek help for fear that they will be ridiculed by society, pitied or scorned. This is the reason awareness is so important and the reason we must engage in public debate on the matter. We must constantly reinforce the message that it is the abuser and not the victim who is to blame. We must ensure that when victims seek help, they are treated with respect and sympathy, given adequate and appropriate protection, their case is dealt with quickly and efficiently and any children involved are given all the support and help necessary to rebuild their lives. Some victims are reluctant to come forward because they lack faith in the help on offer, whether from the Garda, the courts or social services. We must ensure that all the necessary support is available and that victims know that help is available.

Leaving an abusive relationship is even more difficult for women who have children. They have fears regarding financial security or the status of the family home. In some cases, despite the abuse, the children have a good bond with their father and the mothers are reluctant to disrupt this, even if it means they must continue to suffer abuse.

The reluctance of many victims to seek help or go public and the completely misguided notion that domestic abuse only happens to a certain class of woman mean domestic violence does not feature as regularly in the media as it should. It is not always in the headlines. One is more likely to read about outbreaks of flu or bad weather than about a woman suffering abuse in her home. Aside from a few high profile cases or when the abuse goes as far as murder, much domestic violence goes unreported in the press. In a sort of vicious cycle, this lack of publicity encourages the sense of stigma and shame which makes victims reluctant to report abuse.

It is essential that we continue to make domestic violence an issue. We must continue to create awareness of it and to remind society of its terrible existence. It must remain in the headlines. Abuse and violence must not be mistakenly termed "domestic incidents" by the media and abusers must not be allowed to explain away their behaviour by pointing to stress, drink or moments of madness.

The current "Unmask the Abuser" advertisement campaign which features on bus shelters, in newspapers and on billboards is important. It reminds people of the horror of domestic violence and keeps the issue to the fore. It also reminds people of the classless nature of the abuse and that abusers come from all walks of life.

There is a tendency to see domestic violence as a lesser crime. Abusers often express regret immediately after the abuse, show remorse and seek forgiveness. However, regret does not lessen the crime. Domestic violence is a crime and must always be regarded and treated as such. Some 92 women were murdered in Ireland over an eight year period and all of these murders were committed by men. Of the 92 women killed, 62 were murdered in their homes. Of the 55 cases that went to court, 40% of those convicted of the murder were the woman's partner, spouse or ex partner. The best way to deal with domestic violence in Ireland is through prevention. We must stop it happening rather than try to deal with the consequences. Cases will always occur, but efforts and resources must be focused on treating the root causes through early intervention.

Young people in our schools must be educated about domestic violence. Does every school going child know the all important one in five figure? Do they know that violence is always wrong or that abuse is not necessarily physical, but can also be verbal, emotional or sexual? Parents and teachers must take responsibility for getting this message across. Any sign of bullying behaviour by a child must be immediately tackled.

Early intervention is essential. Women must be encouraged to report, seek help and take action. They must be made to feel that they will be listened to, that there is help and support available and that they will be dealt with sympathetically and fairly by the courts. It is essential that gardaí are given specific training to deal with domestic violence cases and that health care workers are ready to spot the signs. Women who make the first step, be it a telephone call to a helpline, a call to the Garda or telling a family member or friend, should be given every possible support and advice. They must be made aware that there is a better option than staying with an abusive partner. Fears about financial difficulties, alternative accommodation, custody of children or the family home must be allayed. The criminal justice system must be made to appear fair.

We must do away completely with the "brushing under the carpet" syndrome. While Irish society has come a long way from our shameful treatment of abuse victims in the past, there is still a degree of looking away when it comes to domestic violence. This brings us back to the issue of awareness. The more we keep the issue to the fore, the less chance there is of cases of abuse being swept under the carpet by society.

I welcome the Government's launch of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency on a pilot basis. It aims at preventing domestic violence by integrating the work of the criminal justice system with that of victim support agencies. Based in Dún Laoghaire and Bray District Court areas, the agency will oversee a pilot programme aimed at increasing the safety of victims of domestic violence, making perpetrators more accountable and reducing the rate ofrepeat violence. The programme includes an intervention programme for the perpetrators of domestic violence which is modelled on the Cork domestic violence project. Two thirds of those who completed this programme changed their abusive ways. Perpetrators of domestic violence are referred to this programme by the District Courts in Dún Laoghaire and Bray, following a prosecution by gardaí. Their progress is monitored by the probation and welfare service and overseen by the courts. Failure to comply with a court order to participate in such a programme results in other sanctions, including prison.

The new agency will focus on both the victim and the perpetrator and will co-ordinate the work of the support services. It will, therefore, reduce the necessity for the victim to approach a number of different agencies. Ms Denise Charleton, director of Women's Aid, has said that women often withdraw complaints from fear but that studies have shown that if women are supported through the legal process they stay with it.

The approach of the NDVIA is based on a US model which has been extensively used elsewhere. Where it has been introduced, the model has been found to reduce the number of domestic violence murders by at least half and sometimes more. The programme brings the perpetrator into the judicial system and offers a graded level of sanctions including the perpetrator intervention programme which reports to the court regularly. I would like to see this programme, which was launched last year, extended and continued when the pilot stage is completed in May.

I welcome the opportunity to address this important issue in the Chamber. Any opportunity to highlight the issue of domestic abuse is important as we can only hope to tackle the problem by increasing awareness.