Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

The debate has been organised as part of an international campaign on violence against women. This is a worldwide problem and it is symptomatic of the inequality experienced by women in many societies where, at its most extreme, female genital mutilation is very much part and parcel of being a woman. It is important that we do what we can to address the inequality experienced by women throughout the world and to support initiatives to prevent violence against women. I support the statement by Mary Robinson recently and I acknowledge the issue of violence against men, which was raised by previous speakers.

I received a number of briefing documents from various groups, including Women's Aid, about violence against women and it is a serious problem because of the damage that can be done. Women can be more vulnerable for many reasons, especially those related to equality issues such as access to employment and the ability to become financially independent, so they cannot escape the violence and they are physically weaker. Women are in more danger as a result of domestic violence but it must be acknowledged that men also experience such violence. While it is not a new phenomenon, it has always been hidden. Amen Ireland forwarded a document which outlined that men who experience domestic violence have difficulty securing help. More needs to be done to provide structures and supports for them so that they will not be afraid to come forward.

When there are two sides on an issue, the answer is often somewhere in the middle. If one says domestic violence is experienced by men, one is considered by interest groups to be weakening the case of people who work to deal with domestic violence against women and vice versa. However, that is not the case and the various interest groups have much more common ground than they realise, which they must acknowledge. As a society, we are fighting against violence against either gender and perhaps different initiatives need to be taken to support both genders when they experience violence. Our objective is to prevent all forms of domestic violence and to provide necessary supports.

If I raise the issue of domestic violence against men with women's groups, their members react defensively and vice versa. Often, there is a misunderstanding in that if one discusses women's rights, it does not mean that one is not acknowledging that men are also discriminated against in society. In terms of how the argument is pitched, we must move beyond this defensiveness and realise that the issues, which are not mutually exclusive, must be addressed.

It is important that members of either gender who experience domestic violence feel free to come forward and get support. Just as women's groups would argue that one should always ensure that women feel free to get help and talk about their situations, one should ensure that men feel safe in coming forward and stating whether they are victims of domestic violence.

It is important that we provide the necessary funding for groups working with people who experience domestic violence. Women's Aid has provided thousands of examples of situations in which it was unable to answer telephone calls from people seeking help. The group raised the issue of people seeking refuge because there should be enough refuges available in different parts of the country. Local supports for victims of domestic violence are vital and people should be able to go to places in their communities if they need advice and so on concerning domestic violence or other matters. As some people in rural communities are isolated and have many children, support agencies should be able to visit their homes and provide the necessary support.

The Women's Aid document refers to the need for more housing options. There is a general problem relating to social housing and housing options for people. Women's Aid makes the point that the single greatest reason people do not leave situations of domestic violence is because they have nowhere to go. In a survey of homeless people, it was found that a high percentage of women were homeless because they had experienced domestic violence. Due to the broader issue of providing more social, affordable or transitional housing or places of refuge, many people cannot escape the situations in question.

A number of recommendations have been made. Multiannual funding for groups that work with people experiencing domestic violence is needed. It is an issue that goes across the board because non-profit organisations, which must apply for funding from year to year, never know where they stand or what level of service they will be able to provide. In a paper supplied to me, it was pointed out that security in finance via multiannual funding is important.

The Minister of State may comment on the recommendation concerning the need to amend the Domestic Violence Act so that people experiencing domestic violence at the hands of ex-partners who are not living with them can avail of the Act's provisions. Other recommendations have been made in this regard.

For a short time while I was a solicitor, I worked in family law and I have a fair amount of experience with the system. It should be reformed.