Tony Kett (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. I thank Senator O'Rourke, who has kindly given us time on several occasions — this may be the second or third — to speak on this issue about which she and we care deeply. It is a burning issue that neither receives enough attention nor is sufficiently addressed. It is important each time we debate the issue to look back on the previous debate and ask ourselves whether we have made any progress. If we have it has been extremely slow and we need to deal with that. I was glad to hear the Minister of State make that point.

We should pay tribute to all the fine non-governmental, voluntary agencies that work at the coalface of this issue. It is most unfortunate for a family or individual to experience domestic violence. These organisations give people in this situation unquantifiable strength. Many of the agencies have been particularly associated with the protection of women but we now know that it is a problem for men too, and that agencies such as Amen and Men Overcoming Violence, MOVE, do great work for them.

Most of these organisations work in a vacuum because there are no resources for them to put in place proper structures about which people know and with which they can work. They respond to basic needs, in a fire brigade action. An organisation cannot be structured if it does not know from where its next few euro are coming. That is something with which we must deal. In examining some of the statistics we received, I discovered one agency revealed it was able to answer only 60% of calls made to it. It is unable to answer two calls in five. I welcome the media campaign to which the Minister referred. It is an excellent idea. As he stated, the reporting of incidents of domestic violence is low. In part, this may be due to frustration. Apart from the people who do not report this crime for one reason or another, others may get tired of trying to get through to a helpline and eventually give up. Part of the problem is that people suffer in silence.

Those of us who have never experienced domestic violence cannot imagine how horrible and lonely it must be for people who are suffering. Despite all the pain and anguish they endure, people still find it extremely difficult to leave a violent relationship. It is difficult to understand this type of situation. Research tells us people are often in as much, if not more, danger when they leave a violent relationship. It is imperative that when a person makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave a violent relationship, that he or she would do so in the knowledge that the State can look after people in such circumstances. That is not the case at present and this may be one reason for the low rate of reporting domestic violence. We must ensure the necessary resources are in place to address this issue.

I can only imagine what it must be like for a woman, for example, to leave her home with her children with only the clothes on her back. It must be the most soul-destroying emotional and physical process a person could ever go through. In addition, such a person has to give up his or her home and all the dreams he or she had when starting out in the relationship. People in these circumstances are worried about their future and that of their children. Such people may be coping alone for at least some of that time. In some cases there is no wider family circle to provide support. In addition, there is always the fear of reprisal from the spouse who has been exposed.

Refuge centres play a big part in dealing with this issue. More than 20% of homeless households cite domestic violence as the reason for their need to be housed. Of those, we are told 90% of households seeking assistance are headed by a woman. These unfortunate facts demand attention. In spite of the excellent care and respite offered by refuge centres, for the sake of all concerned, they can be only a short-term solution. We hear people are being turned away from refuge centres in many parts of the country due to a lack of space. That may not be the case in Dublin but places there are not of much benefit to a person in need in the west or any other part of the county.

It is important that alternative accommodation is provided as soon as possible because it is impossible to order one's life from a refuge centre. No child wants to go to school from a refuge centre. By their nature, children can be unintentionally cruel and the playground can be a difficult place for children coming from a refuge centre. This kind of stigmatisation can have a deep and lasting effect. Children in such circumstances need counselling to help them address the difficulties they have encountered which can be damaging to their self esteem.

I recall trying to deal with the provision of housing for victims of domestic violence when I was a member of Dublin City Council. Overall, we did a poor job. We probably accommodated only one third of the requests we received. At the time 80% of the women who were interviewed gave the lack of alternative housing as a reason for remaining in a bad relationship. They were not confident that if they left their violent spouses they would find alternative accommodation. From my experience at the time in Dublin City Council their position was valid in that we were unable to provide those people with alternative accommodation.

It is difficult to understand why this horrible crime gets such poor media coverage. In contrast, incidents of sexual assault and rape are frequently splashed across newspapers. Unfortunately, domestic violence is a crime that occurs behind closed doors. In some cases these crimes do not come to attention while in others they are not reported. Where it is known, it is important that such crimes are reported. Domestic violence should be seen for the cowardly act it is.

As children, we all felt our homes were places of security and love. That dream is smashed when a child witnesses his or her parents arguing and fighting and the impact of that must be extremely distressing. In 80% of cases it is believed children either witness domestic violence or are in an adjacent room and hear what is going on. We cannot comprehend what impact that has on children. People working at the coalface of this problem are no doubt aware of the effect it has on children.

I read a publication called, Making an Impact, which discussed the impact of domestic violence on children. Senator Terry alluded to this issue. Children become withdrawn, secretive, silent and bitter. In many instances, they blame themselves for the difficulties. They face difficulties in school and have emotional problems. They are confused about what they witnessed taking place between their parents. They suffer sleep disturbance and have trouble eating. They inflict self-harm and are affected by sickness and depression. That is a dreadful legacy for a child to contend with when starting out in life. Most of us who grew up in happy homes found it difficult to get where we are without having to contend with such problems. We must ensure educational awareness programmes highlight the forms this horrible crime can take.

In the main, discussion of domestic violence is confined to the suffering of women but other speakers have stated this is no longer the case. Men also suffer domestic violence and this is now recognised. In acknowledging that, we must take into account the plight of both men and women in dealing with this matter.

Senator Terry stated that 125 women had been murdered in the past ten years. Eighty of these were murdered in their homes. One would like to think they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but if being in one's home means being in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is a sad reflection on our society. I am aware the organisations have made budgetary submissions to the Minister for 2006-07. I hope that we on the Government side take on board the necessary requirements to get us to the point where women, men and children can look to us as a nation for some help and assistance when they find themselves in this type of difficulty.