Ireland failing victims of domestic violence, academic says

Ireland is failing the victims of domestic abuse by not adequately intervening with the perpetrators, an international conference on the issue at University College Cork will hear on Friday.

Dr Louise Crowley, of the UCC School of Law which is hosting the conference, said existing State responses to domestic abuse are typically reactive and under-resourced.

She said domestic violence affects about one in five women in Ireland with the crime being underreported by both the victims and in the official statistics.

There was a huge need for a domestic abuse intervention system which seeks to affect change in the behaviour of the perpetrator in order to improve the lives of the victims, she said.

Speaking in advance of the conference, Dr Crowley said it was correct that priority was given to providing for and protecting vulnerable women and children.

However, she added “we must now seek to break the cycle of gender-based violence and where at all possible, tackle the root of the abuse.”

A number of recent high profile tragic incidents had highlighted the devastating outcomes for victims of domestic abuse and the need for greater intervention to tackle the root causes.

While domestic violence affects both men and women, both research and everyday experience of domestic violence services clearly shows most violence is committed by men, she added.

Inadequate services

At present there are inadequate services provided for domestic abuse perpetrators when in jail and equally few targeted services for men who want to address their aggressive behaviour.

“For those who seek help, it must be available. For those who need help, perhaps it ought to be mandatory,” Dr Crowley said. “Without behavioural change, how can we improve the lives of women and children?”

For a perpetrator intervention programme to succeed requires a co-ordinated response involving the courts, gardai, the Probation Service, Tusla and women’s support services, she said.

“They need to work together, to reinforce the message that violence against women and children will not be tolerated and that the strongest sanctions will apply,” said Dr Crowley.

“However, there must co-exist a willingness to provide the opportunity for abusers to tackle their own behaviour, where such intervention provides a possibility for reduced incidents of abuse.”

Dr Crowley instanced her own research with a group called MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence) in Cork which aims to protect support the safety of women and children who are experiencing abuse.

Too lenient

She found that some 50 per cent of participants in the programme in Cork had never appeared before either the criminal or civil courts for domestic violence.

Dr Crowley said the majority of interviewees viewed the legal system as too lenient and according to one participant, “if the victim doesn’t push it there isn’t a conviction.”

She hoped the international conference, which will hear speakers from Scotland and elsewhere outline their experience, will help develop a more holistic approach to the problem in Ireland.

“It is hoped that this sharing of knowledge and experience will direct the future of Irish law and policy reform and ultimately better safeguard those in abusive intimate relationships,” she said.

The conference, which takes place at UCC's Brookfield Complex on College Road, is free of charge and open to the public but advanced registration is advised as places are limited.