Written answers

Tuesday, 13 July 2021

Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth

Domestic Violence

Photo of Holly CairnsHolly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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490. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the steps he is taking to establish dedicated refuge space for male victims and survivors of domestic abuse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37408/21]

Photo of Roderic O'GormanRoderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.  Separately, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has a responsibility in terms of capital provision for the development of new refuges.

Tusla currently allocates funding to two organisations that provide dedicated services for male victims of domestic abuse. In recent years, Tusla has substantially increased its funding allocation to Men's Aid, and began funding the Men's Development Network for the provision of services to male victims. The National Domestic Violence Helpline, run by Women’s Aid, is also available to callers of all genders on a 24 hour basis. Tusla continues to keep the presenting needs of victims, both male and female, under ongoing review to ensure the needs of all victims are met in a holistic manner.

All organisations working with victims of domestic violence seek to support someone at risk, regardless of gender or access to refuge. Refuges in Ireland are high support services that provide safe and short-term accommodation for women and children at high risk of harm from domestic violence. The current service model in Ireland is in line with many other countries, where victims of domestic violence have been identified to be predominantly women at risk of violence from men.

Tusla is due to present a final draft of its strategic review of emergency accommodation to the Minister shortly. Tusla has advised that the accommodation needs of many cohorts were considered in its accommodation review, including men. It is expected that the findings of the review will recommend the future course of actions for Government with regard to current and future accommodation requirements for victims of domestic violence. These findings will be considered in conjunction with the audit of the responsibility for DSGBV across Government, and the Third National Strategy for DSGBV, which is under the remit of the Department of Justice and is currently in development.

The Minister recognises that male victims of domestic violence experience particular difficulties that may differ significantly from those experienced by women, and that some men would undoubtedly benefit from access to refuge accommodation. The Minister has engaged with Men’s Aid and other advocates in this area, and is open to further engagement with the sector on this issue as part of a broader consultation with regard to future actions in the Third National Strategy. Tusla will continue to engage with key stakeholders, and listen to the experiences of service providers that work with men, to determine the level of need for ongoing service provision.

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