Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Moloney for tabling this motion and welcome the representatives from SAFE Ireland and Women's Aid who are in the Gallery. Domestic violence is an abuse of power where one person in a relationship uses a variety of tactics to gain and maintain control over the other person. An abuser will use a variety of tactics, including physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, to retain control. Domestic violence involves a pattern of this type of behaviour, often over a long period of time. Many abusers' tactics are subtle and their impacts can be difficult to recognise. Sometimes they can be people who are close to us and we do not know what is happening until it is too late.

The statistics provided by Women's Aid are shocking, regardless of how many times one reads them. One in five women in Ireland over the age of 18 will experience physical, emotional and sexual abuse in her lifetime. In 2011, the Women's Aid national freefone helpline answered over 11,000 calls, 8,399 disclosures of emotional abuse, over 2,000 disclosures of physical abuse, over 1,000 disclosures of financial abuse, 477 disclosures of sexual abuse and 184 reports of rapes within relationships. A further 892 disclosures of emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse were made to the Women's Aid one-to-one support service in 2011. A total of 13,500 disclosures of abuse were made to Women's Aid in 2011, reflecting the growing incidence of violence against women in Irish society. What is even more shocking is the estimate that only 10% of those who suffer will access services. While over 11,000 women accessed domestic violence services in 2011, more than 100,000 experienced abuse but did not seek support.

I welcome the Minister of State's comments on the initiative by the Department of Education and Skills to bring a module into the SPHE programme for junior cycle students. Early intervention is the best way to cope with problems and if we educate our children to recognise and stand up to domestic violence, we can reduce the problem for future generations.

Research indicates that people are generally reluctant to intervene in other people's business. People say they would only intervene if they witnessed abuse or knew a relative who was being abused. We only have to consider recent events in Cleveland, Ohio, to understand that the abuse occurred in a house whose occupant socialised with neighbours. Abuse can often be cleverly disguised. People do not want to step into the intimate arena of other relationships because they do not want to judge the woman and her choices or because they fear they will make matters worse.

The woman concerned may believe she still loves the man and she may have children or other economic dependents. Even in this day and age enormous social pressure is often brought to bear on a woman to avoid breaking up the family. She may feel shame at being in her situation and, as other speakers have noted, the sexist attitude remains in Irish society that she made her bed and must lie in it. Women who experience abuse often minimise it and do not believe their case is bad enough to report or do not think they will be believed. They may repeatedly dismiss incidents as once-off events or make excuses for the perpetrator.

As citizens, we have to say that domestic violence is not acceptable. It will remain pervasive as long as silence surrounds it but it will wither with knowledge and disclosure. I acknowledge that the Government has been proactive in supporting State and non-government organisations in their efforts to assist victims and survivors of domestic violence.

The Man UP campaign, supported by SAFE Ireland, is one such initiative which, for the first time, switches the focus from the needs and views of survivors, most of whom are women and children, to the actions and words of those who control and abuse, most of whom are men. The idea behind this campaign is to try to get the message across that most men celebrate and protect women and that behaviour which is controlling and abusive is just not acceptable.

Despite everything to which I refer, there is so much more to be done. In Dundalk, where I live, some 219 people availed of support services in 2012 but a further 225 requests for help went unanswered. Those who run the support services in Dundalk estimate that 115 people have already been refused assistance in 2013. They are of the view that this will climb to 300 during the remainder of the year. It takes a great deal of courage for people to come forward. When they do find that courage, it is a major setback for them to be told that there is no help available. The Minister of State referred to the funding that is available. However, there is a great deal more which must be done. As previous speakers stated, it is important that the level of funding be maintained in the forthcoming budget.