Action needed on domestic violence

"An estimated 12 to 15 percent of women in Europe face violence in the home every day, while 26 per cent of Irish women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner since the age of 15, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights," Deirdre Clune MEP said today, on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November).

"Worldwide, one in three women in the world has been subjected to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. These are very stark and frightening figures.

"In Ireland, we need a new and comprehensive domestic abuse policy and a more open, supportive system to help those women or men who need to report instances of domestic abuse to the Gardai," MEP Clune continued.

“Some 57 percent of Irish women, compared to 39pc in Europe, said they had reasons for not contacting the police following the most serious incidence of violence. These included that they dealt with the issue themselves or involved a friend, or felt it was a ‘family matter’.

“Domestic violence is not always recorded within Gardaí/HSE protocols as a form of abuse which means it can get hidden under an anti-social issue or similar. Both of these factors mean it can be difficult to record its prevalence and helps to keep the issue under wraps.”

At an EU level, the EPP Group, to which Fine Gael is aligned, has called for a renewed commitment to eradicating violence against women and girls and has urged all Member States to ratify the Istanbul Convention and to implement the EU Anti-Trafficking Directive, the Directive against child sexual abuse and the European Protection Order.

"By signing the Istanbul Convention on November 5th 2015, the Irish government reaffirmed its commitment to reduce domestic violence, support victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

"We, in the EPP Group, are calling on the Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Vĕra Jourová, to ensure that the European Commission releases its new strategy for equality between women and men as soon as possible. We need concrete proposals to end gender violence and to address new forms of harassment online," Clune added.

"Since the 1990s, the Council of Europe, of which I am a member, has actively promoted the protection of women and girls from gender based violence, namely by adopting recommendations on the protection of women against violence and by running a Europe-wide campaign on violence against women, including domestic violence in 2006-2008. This is something that could be repeated with a greater emphasis on social media channels.

"Violence against women is inherently linked to discrimination and to inequalities between men and women – improving equality and mutual respect between genders in society is essential," she concluded.