Seanad debates

Tuesday, 30 March 2010

Domestic Violence: Statements.

 

4:00 am

Photo of Maria CorriganMaria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue and thank those colleagues who made strenuous efforts in recent months on the Order of Business to ensure it was raised in the House. It is very important that the Legislature is seen to send a strong message on domestic violence. I also welcome the Minister of State, on what I understand is her first appearance in the House, and wish her well in her new portfolio. Having had the opportunity to listen to her several times on radio in recent days, I was highly impressed. If she brings the same clarity and focus she demonstrated on radio, this portfolio will certainly benefit from her input.

While I will try not to repeat points made by either Senator Healy Eames or the Minister of State, it has been stated domestic violence is and continues to be a huge problem in society. It refers to the use of physical, psychological, sexual, emotional, verbal or economic abuse, including the threat of violence, as well as the use of violence in intimate and close relationships. It can affect anyone in a household, a point the Minister of State outlined clearly. However, statistics strongly demonstrate that it affects women, in particular. It can affect every woman, regardless of age, marital status, class or cultural background, and knows no boundaries. Every day in Ireland women are beaten, raped and trapped in their homes by those closest to them. The Minister of State outlined in graphic terms the forms such violence can take and the statistics are stark. One in five women in Ireland suffers from domestic violence and it is estimated that globally one in three women face abuse, violence and rape every day.

Although the figures are less clear regarding the number of men who face violence within the home, it is known they do and in recent times there has been a greater tendency for men to come forward, even though it remains very difficult for them to so do. However, they are aided and supported by organisations such as Amen. Moreover, as the Minister of State noted, older people and children also are subject to domestic violence.

In Ireland it is estimated that 213,000 women are living with severe abuse every day by boyfriends, husbands or partners. This stark figure demonstrates that 250,000 women, Irish citizens and residents, live with abuse every day. As Senator Healy Eames observed, since 1996 a huge number of women have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland and in 51% of the cases that were solved, the women involved were murdered by their partners or ex-partners. However, there also are many hidden injuries and it is possible there are many hidden related deaths, of which one is unaware, that statistics cannot capture but were at the hands of abusers.

The economic costs of domestic violence also are stark. The estimated annual economic cost of domestic violence to the economy is €2.2 billion. Given the current economic climate, it is apt to also include consideration of the economic costs of domestic violence. In Ireland women experiencing domestic violence make 50% more emergency visits than other women, have double the mental health costs and incur costs for drug and alcohol services that are six times higher. Overall, 3% of total HSE expenditure is due to physical injuries that are directly attributable to domestic violence. The personal costs to victims of domestic violence are enormous. Women and men experience a significant loss of confidence and quality of life. People in situations of domestic abuse are not living but merely existing from day to day. They are simply hoping to survive or that when they get out of bed in the morning, they will be able to return to it that night in a condition somewhat similar to that in which they left it. They suffer a range of injuries and, in extreme cases, death.

Children are also victims of domestic abuse, whether directly or as witnesses of abuse. Even as witnesses, the impact on them is extreme. There has not been an opportunity to examine this subject closely. Anecdotal accounts come from schools of how they can identify children in classrooms who come from homes in which domestic abuse occurs through conduct issues, a lack of concentration or a general state of unhappiness. To make matters worse, I refer to attempts by schools to intervene purely on behalf of children in such situations such as, for example, efforts to seek additional support to catch up on the lessons on which the child is missing out as a result of the aforementioned lack of concentration and attention or to find another way to manage behaviour other than being obliged to suspend the child. Often such attempts by schools to intervene on the part of children are met by resistance. Due to the conflict, the child often finds himself or herself being used as a pawn by parents. The consent required from both parents for a particular action is not forthcoming because what happens to the child has become an extension of the conflict in the home. This is not acceptable. I know of situations in which children are not getting access to the supports they need because consent forms are not being signed as a result of conflicts in the home. This increases the abuse's impact on innocent bystanders.

Children who have grown up seeing their mums subjected to abuse have tried to intervene with the best of intentions. This escalates the abuse to a new level. I have heard accounts of young children who tried to stand in bedroom doorways to stop their dads getting to their mums. This is an horrendous way to live. One would come home from school unsure of what one would be facing that evening.

We have considered what we would say and hoped to achieve in this debate. We have raised the matter on the Order of Business a number of times. We hope that this debate will, as a minimum, highlight domestic violence and the national strategy outlined in great detail by the Minister of State. It is important we raise awareness among ourselves as legislators and among anyone outside the House who hears of our debate on domestic violence. This is an opportunity to reflect on the effectiveness of the measures that have been put in place. Every Senator in attendance has a broad range of contacts. Sometimes, these allow us to refer to anecdotal evidence of how people are finding the situation. It can inform debate and future measures.

In considering what else we may get out of this debate, I take this opportunity to advocate for the building of circles of support within our communities. Everyone has a role to play in respect of dealing with domestic violence. When the Minister of State discussed the strategy, she mentioned inter-agency work. A strategy on domestic violence must be owned by the people if all of us, as residents and citizens, are to take some degree of responsibility. I will revert on this matter.

The final thing I hope this debate will achieve is to send a message to people who find themselves in situations of domestic violence, namely, they are not alone, there is help and support and they should come forward. I have cited statistics, but we do not know how much of the real situation they are conveying. I have no doubt that statistics will never capture events that are occurring today and will occur today. We will never hear about them. All of these statistics are the minimum, not necessarily a realistic reflection. To those who find themselves in that situation, I would like to say they are not on their own and I ask them to come forward.

I revert to my point on developing circles of support within the community, a matter on which I feel strongly. Everyday, I am struck by the question of how many of us have wondered what to do after hearing a disturbance in a neighbour's house. Recently, I encountered an example of a lady who experienced considerable abuse at the hands of her husband. Since I knew her living situation, I knew there was no way her neighbours could not have heard what was occurring. When I asked her whether anyone had taken action, she told me that everyone had been afraid to call the Garda because they did not know whether they should have interfered in a private situation. One person who used to live across the road from her had always made a point of calling the Garda. When he moved out, he made a point of asking a neighbour to call the Garda if it occurred again, but that person said he or she would not because what happened behind closed doors was no one else's business.

This is what we must tackle. I appeal to people. If they hear a violent disturbance, they should call someone. Domestic violence is just a fancy name for assault and brutality. It makes us feel a little bit better, a little more comfortable when saying it, but it boils down to physical assault and brutality. We have no business standing by without taking action. We are horrified when newspapers, "Liveline" or other chat or radio shows tell us of how a young lad or girl was set upon and beaten up while going home. We are horrified when we hear of that young person's injuries, but they are no different than those being suffered by the victim behind closed doors. That assault is no less wrong than what is occurring behind closed doors. We all need to take a stand. Sometimes, this means picking up the telephone and calling for help. If the victim was me, another Senator, one of our daughters, sons or sisters, would we not like to believe that some neighbour would have the decency to pick up the telephone and protect the victim?

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