VIOLENCE against women is expected to reach new levels over this Christmas period. Reports from the National Federation of Women's Refuges say that shelters have been "busier than usual".
Those refuges which did not report an increase in calls in the last three to four days still anticipate a rise next week, Ms Margaret Costello of the national federation told The Irish Times yesterday. However, most of the 11 refuges attached to the federation confirmed that they were under pressure.
"The shelters tend to be quiet coming up to Christmas, because women don't want to upset the children" Ms Costello said. "But from now until New Year's Eve, that pattern will change significantly."
Among those receiving most calls for assistance this week Were Adapt in Limerick, the refuges in Bray, Co Wicklow, and Rathmines, Dublin, and Aoibhneas in Ballymun. Nationally the federation recorded 9,177 distress calls, and accommodated 932 women and 1,828 children in the year to November 30th, 1996. These statistics do not include the thousands of calls received on the Women's Aid freephone helpline.
The combination of financial pressure, family commitments and alcohol tends to make Christmas one of the most vulnerable periods for women victims of men's violence in the home. A survey by Women's Aid last year found that 18 per cent - nearly one in five - of women had been abused at some stage in their lives, while 15 women were murdered or suffered violent deaths this year to the middle of October.
A quarter of all crimes committed every year in the State are against women, according to the Minister of State at the Department of the Tanaiste, Ms Eithne Fitzgerald, who has set up a working group on the issue which is due to report to the Government in February.
From next Wednesday, January 1st, health boards will be able to exercise new powers under the 1996 domestic violence Act, which will enable them to apply for protection or barring or safety orders on behalf of victims, subject to certain conditions.
Health boards finance about 90 per cent of the total expenditure on existing support services, amounting to just more than £1.5 million this year. However, the National Federation of Women's Refuges is seeking full State funding for all centres - similar to that given to the refuge in Rathmines - as part of its programme for 1997. It is also seeking provision of rural outreach and more funding for research.
The violence Act came into force on March 27th and aims to improve the protection available to victims. It retains the power of the courts to grant barring orders against spouses, and extends it to protect cohabitants and their children, and parents at risk from violent adult children.
The maximum duration of a barring order made by the District Court has been increased from 12 months to three years (renewable on application for a further three years), while the Circuit Court has unlimited jurisdiction.
The Act also strengthens Garda powers of arrest without warrant in cases where there is serious assault in the home, or such assault is suspected. These powers apply even where no barring or safety order exists. The legislation enables gardai to enter a household to carry out such an arrest.
In his recently published report on this Government's implementation of the Beijing platform for action - agreed at the 1995 UN Fourth World Conference on Women - the Minister for Equality and Law Reform Mr Taylor, said there were indications the new laws had greatly the number of applications to the courts for protection against violence in the home.
However, Ms Costello said that in her opinion domestic violence could only be addressed seriously when there was a compulsory treatment programme for men who beat up women. The cycle of domestic violence could only be broken by working with perpetrators as well as victims, she stressed.
"The problem is that with limited resources, we can only stretch funds to run the shelters," she said.
