Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank you for your kind invitation to join you today, and say what a privilege it is for me to be here for the launch of the extended Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline.
I very much welcome the extension of the Helpline to a 24 hour per day, 7 days a week service.
I know that this is a source of great pride to you all, and I would like to congratulate Margaret, the Board and all the staff and volunteers on what is a very important extension to the Helpline services.
Violence against women is a cultural, social and economic phenomenon. It is one of the most common and yet, least reported crimes in the world.
The effects of domestic violence on our society are enormous and difficult to measure.
Freedom from the threat of harassment, battering, and sexual assault is a concept that most of us find difficult to imagine.
Thirty years ago, most forms of violence against women were hidden under a cloak of silence or acceptance.
Over the decades, women have mobilised to offer direct services to those have encountered violence, to educate people about the range and nature of male violence against women, and to develop strategies for change.
The ongoing campaign for the elimination of violence against women is a social, political and civil duty for us all; regardless of our backgrounds and roles in society.
Women’s Aid has been at the forefront of this challenge, along with 40 other domestic violence services around the country.
You should all be proud of what you have achieved, and I commend all the staff and volunteers who carry out this important work.
Domestic violence isn’t just hitting, or fighting, or an occasional argument. It is a chronic abuse of power and includes:
· Emotional Abuse;
· Physical Abuse;
· Sexual Abuse; and
· Financial Abuse.
Statistics indicate that 1 in 5 women in Ireland who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner.
This is shocking.
Bringing an end to domestic violence is difficult because the men who carry out the violence are also the men with whom the victims have been close or intimate – sometimes it is the father of the woman’s child.
Abused women can be bound by strong feelings of loyalty. Women often remain at home not only because the men physically stop them from leaving, but also because they hope that the violent behaviour will change.
An all too common question in relation to women who suffer from domestic violence is “Why do they stay in the home?”
This question takes away from the real issue: “Why does he beat her”?
We know that victims of domestic violence are reluctant to report abuse.
Women fear retaliation against themselves and their children by the abuser. They also fear the economic upheaval that may follow the reporting of the abuse.
Threats and violence are control strategies used by abusers.
Often, women’s self-esteem can be so low because of the abuse, and they are unable to see themselves as worthy of seeking help, or they try and rationalise the abuse, believing they caused or deserved it.
Often, when an abuser is arrested, the charges are dropped by the victim.
The fear takes over. Nothing happens. The abuser walks. This fear is entirely understandable. It is not the fault of the victim.
Where children are involved, not only do they fear injury and death but the destruction of their family and their world.
I continue to be inspired by the women who do come forward. These are women who try to live their lives, work and bring up a family, despite suffering this horrendous abuse.
Since its establishment in 2014, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, has taken on statutory responsibility for the care and protection of victims of domestic, sexual or gender based violence whether in the context of the family or otherwise. Tusla’s key priority is to ensure that the needs of victims of domestic violence are met in the best way possible. Accordingly, in 2016, Tusla is allocating in excess of €20.0m to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services which funds some 60 services including:
· 20 Crisis Refuges and support services,
· 16 Rape Crisis Centres,
· 24 Domestic Violence Support Services.
Women’s Aid and all domestic violence services around the country are at the forefront in dealing with domestic violence. You provide hope and specialist support services.
Since 1992, your Helpline has been crucial in offering support to the many victims of domestic violence.
The statistics from last year’s Women’s Aid Impact Report make stark reading:
· The Helpline answered over 9,000 calls.
· There were over 16,000 disclosures of violence against women and 6,000 disclosures of child abuse.
· There were over 12,000 contacts with your direct services.
· There were 870 one to one visits in the Dublin area.
In today’s multi-cultural society, you reach out to women of all backgrounds through your ability to provide Helpline support in 170 languages. You also provide a vital text service for deaf women.
Through the extension of the Freephone Helpline to a 24-hour service, you are providing an even more extensive service to women who are victims of domestic abuse.
This support is now available for women whenever they need it, at any time of day or night.
The proof that the extension of the Helpline hours is warranted is borne out by recent statistics.
In the first few months this year, the Helpline answered over 1,000 extra calls. In March alone, the Helpline answered over 500 calls during the ‘nightshift’.
For many of those who contact the Helpline, the staff member or volunteer who answers the phone may be the first person they have told about their abuse.
It may have taken years, decades even for individuals, to finally speak about their traumatic experience.
The Helpline support is often the first tentative step women take in their journey to a world free from domestic violence.
Every phone conversation, every one to one contact, every referral, helps break the spiral of abuse.
Listening to and empathising with women helps them break free from the cycle of isolation and hopelessness that they have experienced over the years.
The media spotlight, quite rightly, is now on this issue.
The danger is that, as with everything, once the media dies down the victims are forgotten until the next shocking incident.
We must keep this cause in the spotlight and high on everyone’s agenda.
In doing so, it is vital that we increase the focus on the perpetrators and potential perpetrators. We need to break the intergenerational cycle of violence that exists in so many families.
We have to make it easier for victims to report abuse and to make perpetrators face up to their crimes and change their behaviour.
We need to continue to educate and change attitudes in our society.
We can all play a role.
Let us stand together and continue to support these women who have had the bravery to come forward and to seek your help and support.
Finally, it is now my great pleasure to officially launch the Women’s Aid extended National Freephone Helpline.
I would like to wish you all every success in your future endeavours and I thank you for all the valuable work that you do.
ENDS.