Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State and congratulate her on her new role. I hope she will make a real difference in respect of the victims of domestic violence, women and children, who are largely invisible. Those who work with them cannot be photographed for their own safety. Since I became a Member of the House three years ago I have run a number of coffee mornings for the victims of domestic violence and for the refuge centre at Waterside House in Galway and these are some of the facts I have learned.

I wish to focus on the scale of the problem of domestic violence as it relates to the COPE Galway Waterside House Refuge. I spoke to people at the centre earlier today and discovered that the number of women who are trying to avail of its services is continually increasing. In 2009, some 152 women were admitted to the centre. Of these, 99 were individual admissions and the remaining 53 were admitted more than once. It is obvious that the rate of recurrence of domestic violence in the lives of the latter women is quite high. Some 227 children were admitted to the centre in 2009. However, 238 women and 425 children were turned away and had to be referred to a different refuge or bed and breakfast establishment due to a lack of space. I am delighted Senator Ó Brolcháin, who, like me, comes from Galway, is present, particularly as the centre to which I refer represents both the city and county.

In 2008, 10% of all callers to the Women's Aid national freephone helpline disclosed that they were being abused by former partners to whom they were not married. It is obvious, therefore, that a person who leaves an abusive relationship remains at risk. The stalking of victims by their abusers after they have left the relationship is a major issue.

It is also important to consider the number of women who have died as a result of domestic violence since the mid-1990s. Since 1996, 162 women have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland as a result of domestic violence. In 51% of resolved cases, the woman was killed by her partner or ex-partner. Domestic violence can, therefore, prove fatal. One of the most striking media campaigns I have ever witnessed, was that which took place last year and which showed 150 empty pairs of women's shoes. They had been filled by women who had been murdered as a result of domestic violence which is a very serious crime against women.

What are the effects of domestic violence on women and children? There are physical health effects such as asthma and high blood pressure which are stress related. As one in eight victims is abused throughout pregnancy, there are high numbers of miscarriages and stillbirths. The mental effects include depression, low self-esteem, inability to cope with everyday life, disrupted sleep patterns, eating disorders as a result of poor body image, panic attacks, suicidal tendencies, substance abuse, self-neglect, alcoholism and serious risk to one's own life.

The longer the victim is in the abusive relationship the worse it is. Some women have a history of visiting their local GP on a regular basis with minor ailments which normally is a sign of a call for help. I would like the Minister of State to consider flagging a protocol for women at risk of domestic violence through a pattern of GP visits. A number of years ago when I was a teacher, I dealt with a family of children and it was obvious to me that there was neglect in the family home. They were forever at the accident and emergency department or visiting their GP, both of which could identify abuse. Even when a woman leaves an abusive relationship, this does not mean the violence will stop. Many women experience additional violence and stalking by their abusers.

There are also the effects on children. In the short term there are language and speech development problems such as stammering; panic and anxiety attacks; mood disturbance; low self-esteem; feelings of guilt and self-blame; depression; lack of concentration in school; bed-wetting; withdrawal and babyish behaviour. The effects on education would be sustained. The long-term effects are serious and include the danger of the children becoming abusers or bullies themselves because fundamentally at the root of domestic abuse of women by men is the issue of control and power. One must consider where this need comes from. Perhaps it goes back to a cycle of inter-generational abuse and being bullied which brings us back to low self-esteem. Other effects include mental health problems; substance abuse; running away from home and delinquency. Young girls, in particular, have trouble in forming their own relationships after seeing domestic violence in the family home, as they distrust men in general and also have a distorted view of what constitutes a healthy relationship.

The economic downturn has had an effect on the level of domestic violence, as more women and children are seeking refuge. As a result, it has become increasingly more difficult to move women on from sheltered accommodation. In general, beds in refuges are scarce but they are being blocked by women who are in permanent residence. Perhaps "blocked" is the wrong word to use, as the women concerned need a home. An increasing number of women are seeking accommodation. There has also been an increase in the number who stay in refuges on a long-term basis.

It is important that we examine the main causes of domestic violence in order that we can act to prevent it. The Green Party puts forward the notion that it believes in prevention through health promotion. I also support and welcome this. The main causal factors for domestic violence are power and control. Other contributing factors are self-esteem issues, the media, bullying, drug abuse, alcohol and unemployment. It is important to focus on the power and control issue which is often cultural and has to do with the way a person was reared. We need to consider what is the need that makes one want to have such power and control over another. It comes down to one person wanting complete control and power in the relationship.

A large proportion of the women affected are in traditional relationships. The husband - the abuser - sees himself as the main breadwinner and his position in the relationship as being superior to that of his wife. He uses various means of control over his wife such as access to contraception, money which the Minister of State mentioned and a mobile phone. The wife or partner who is the victim of the abuse feels her responsibilities lie with providing and caring for the children, cooking, cleaning and caring for her husband. Her role is secondary to that of her husband. The key point is that she and her husband share this ideology. However, this does not mean she expects to be abused. While she entered the relationship or marriage with that ideology, it does not mean it is a licence to be abused.

Mr. Don Hennessy, the former director of the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency, believes men consider they are entitled to behave in this way and have power over their wives. He stated:

Male offenders hide their intentions under a veneer of love. His sense of entitlement that his needs always have priority and his intention to take what is 'his' are covered in this cloak of love. "I love you" when spoken by a male abuser means that I love what you do for me. The same statement when made by a non-abusive male means I want what is best for you.

It is an important tweaking of the locus of control. When male abusers are challenged about their behaviour, they usually respond with a long list of excuses as to why they acted the way they did. Mr. Hennessy stated they would inevitably try to blame the women for the abuse. He also stated we should not ask if the victim had said, "No", we should ask whether she had ever said "Yes."

Let us consider the most urgent issue that needs to be addressed to prevent a continuation of domestic violence. The most important matter is reform of the criminal justice system, which is badly needed. We strongly support Women's Aid's recommendations, in particular those relating to the qualification criteria for eligibility for protection under the Domestic Violence Act. To qualify for a barring or safety order under domestic violence law an unmarried woman has to be living with the perpetrator for six of the previous nine months. However, abuse could take place in the first month. Married women can take out an order at any stage. This excludes a significant number of clients of Women's Aid from availing of protection under the Domestic Violence Act, including those who have children with a partner but who do not live together.

I will give the example of a woman who had been with her partner for two years when they moved in together. They had been living together for two months when he seriously assaulted her, as a result of which she had to be hospitalised. She does not qualify for a barring or safety order under current domestic violence legislation and can only use the Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act. This discriminates against women who are not married. Teenage mothers who do not live with the father of their child can also be victims of domestic abuse and are also unable to take out a barring order under the Domestic Violence Act. This is a critical issue that needs to be emphasised in any strategy. It is probably the most important one.

Women's Aid and the refuge centre in Galway consider strongly that more follow-up work and needs to be done and aftercare provided for victims of domestic abuse. When a woman finds she is no longer in need of the services the refuge offers, she moves on, which can be good. As a result, it is hard for the refuge to collate information on the quality of life these women and their children enjoy afterwards. However, many of the women and children who leave the refuge are still in need of additional counselling and therapy services which the refuge is unable to offer as a result of budgetary constraints. The Minister of State mentioned an inter-agency approach to examine how other agencies could liaise with refuge centres and Women's Aid to ensure women and children receive ongoing help. I ask her to imagine what would happen if she or I were abused. Even if we were to receive help, it would not mean we would not live with after-effects or flashbacks. Abuse victims provided me with accounts in which they were unable to have sexual relations again because such flashbacks were so severe. Consequently, there is a need for ongoing aftercare and follow-up. Refuges do their best to offer additional services with the small funds available to them. However, they consider that the follow-up services they offer are only a fraction of what they should be doing. There is a lack of consistency in respect of follow-up services, which resource is badly needed.

I turn to the question of how the problem of domestic violence can be made more visible in order that society will become more aware of its prevalence. This is an interesting point because when I held the aforementioned coffee morning, I noticed that men who were sitting in the outer section of the hotel in which it was being held were highly uncomfortable with its progress and snide remarks were made and so on. There must be far more media attention, while the profile of the various rape crisis centres and women's refuges must be raised. Many women who were murdered had had a history of domestic violence. However, this detail is often not disclosed by the media. Agencies such as Cosc, to which the Minister of State referred, provide money for leaflets, etc. but this is not enough; a general public awareness campaign is needed. Moreover, this must not be perceived to be a woman's issue only. I have applauded the men who have shown up at, for example, coffee mornings in support of women who have been abused in relationships. I also applaud the men who intend to speak on the issue in the Chamber today. In addition, advocacy agencies must be encouraged.

I refer to the work that has helped women and children to recover. Women's refuges received a small amount of funding recently that enabled them to set up a 12-week programme entitled the Power to Change support group which was of great benefit to women who had been victims of abuse. When a woman leaves an abusive relationship, she often can have feelings of severe isolation and loneliness. The self-esteem of such women is very low. Some music and play therapy groups are available to children. Equally, MOVE, men overcoming violence, is a nationwide organisation which engages male abusers in a weekly group therapy session. The therapy they receive is cognitive, which is welcome.