• X
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • Exit this website NOW
Safe Ireland
  • Home
  • Get Help
    • Where to find help
    • Safety Information
    • Understanding domestic abuse
    • What types of support are available?
    • Information for Male Victims
    • Let’s Talk Tech – Online Safety Tips
  • Get Involved
    • Why should I get involved?
    • How to fundraise and donate
    • What can I do as an employer?
    • Events
    • Our Campaigns
  • Get Trained
    • Safe Ireland Learning Hub
  • About
    • Our mission
    • Impact of our work
    • What we do
    • Our Team
    • Transparency
    • Media Information
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

New Domestic Violence Statistics Show 14 Requests for Accommodation Could Not be Met Every Day

in Press Releases

Children Growing Up In Refuge SAFE Ireland tells Politicians

Domestic violence services across the country today revealed that they were unable to meet up to 14 requests every day from women looking for safe accommodation in 2014 – a daily average amounting to nearly 5,000 unmet requests from women over the full year.

This is the highest recording of unmet requests for vital accommodation since statistics were first compiled by SAFE Ireland in 2008. SAFE Ireland is the leading national domestic violence organisation working with 39 frontline members.

Presenting the most recent National Statistics, Sharon O’Halloran, CEO of SAFE Ireland, said that the figure of 4,831 unmet requests highlights more than any other the abject failure to face up to the reality and consequences of domestic violence and in particular the integral connection between domestic violence and homelessness.

nat-stats-2014-spreads-and-cover
Download the National Domestic Violence Service Statistics 2014 report here (5.4Mb PDF)

The Annual Statistics show that 9,448 women and 3,068 children – over 12,500 people in total – received direct support and/or accommodation from a domestic violence service in Ireland in 2014. Domestic violence services across the country also answered nearly 50,000 helpline support and information calls. In total, 1,658 women and 2,309 children were living in refuge in 2014. Of the children who stayed in refuge for a period of time, 899 were aged under-four, including 217 babies under one, and 422 were aged between 10 and 14.

The statistics were launched at #FaceUpToDomesticViolence – SAFE Ireland’s Election 2016 Rally. It was attended by leading politicians including Frances Fitzgerald TD, Minister for Justice and Equality, Mary Lou McDonald TD, Vice President of Sinn Fein, Labour’s Anne Ferris TD, Cllr Mary Fitzpatrick from Fianna Fail, Eamon Ryan, Green Party Leader and Cllr Eilis Ryan, Workers Party.

“We hear stories about children growing up in hotel rooms. But now we are seeing children growing up in refuges – spending their formative years living in emergency accommodation,” O’Halloran said. “We have to face up to domestic violence as a mark of our humanity and as a measure of a society. Otherwise, we will continue to fail women, fail children, and fail generations.”

O’Halloran explained that the growing gap between rent allowance and rent prices, coupled with the dire lack of suitable housing stock means that most women cannot find homes to move on to live safely. Many are trapped in refuge for long periods of time, which means that there is a knock-on squeeze on emergency accommodation for other women looking for help. Many women are left with little choice but to return to their abusive homes.

“Let’s be clear, no woman was left without help and support by our member services,” O’Halloran said. “They work tirelessly to do everything they can to ensure that women are supported to find safety. But they are doing so against ever-tougher conditions and against mounting systemic barriers. Instead of being able to provide options for safety with women, our member organisations are dictated to by restrictions – by what’s not possible rather than what’s possible.”

SAFE Ireland also launched its Election Manifesto at the Rally. O’Halloran said that the public was way ahead of the political world when it came to its understanding of the seriousness of domestic violence. In a Red C poll carried out for SAFE Ireland in December 2015, nearly 90% of people said that domestic violence is an issue all of society should be concerned with. Over 80% – rising to 87% amongst women – said that domestic violence should be prioritised by Government.

SAFE Ireland is calling for commitment, within the first 100 Days of the next Government, to ensure that three actions become a reality for women and children.

  1. Allocate an additional €30 million annually (from 2017) to address immediate gaps across all struggling services, from Garda to housing, and to ensure prevention work.
  2. Appoint a Minister, Department and Cabinet Sub-Committee to spearhead a whole of Government response to domestic violence.
  3. Enact new legislation on domestic violence and victims rights, with a commitment to look at the definition of domestic violence.

“If the next Government commits to these three powerful actions in the first 100 days, it will be telling women and children that, finally, their government, their country and their fellow citizens are prepared to Face Up to Domestic Violence,” O’Halloran concluded.

#FaceUpToDomesticViolence – The Reality in Numbers

  • 9,448 individual women and 3,028 individual children received support and/or accommodation from a domestic violence service.
  • 48,888 helpline support and information calls were received.
  • 1,658 individual women and 2,309 individual children stayed in refuge,
  • 8,451 women received a wide range of face to face supports including advociacy, emotional and practical support, counselling, court accompaniments etc.
  • 1,158 children received non-accommodation direct support including counselling, play therapy, school placement, afterschool etc.
  • 4,831 requests for refuge could not be met because the refuge was full.
  • 899 children living in refuge for a period of time were aged under-four. 217 were babies under one and 422 were aged between 10 and 14. 123 teenagers were aged between 15 and 18.
  • 89% of Irish people believe that domestic violence is an issue for all of society (Red C poll Dec 2015).
  • 82% – rising to 87% amongst women – said that domestic violence should be prioritised by Government (Red C poll Dec 2015).
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on X
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://www.safeireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/ft-post-img-nat-stats-2014-1.jpg 600 900 Safe Ireland https://www.safeireland.ie/wp-content/themes/master/images/si-logo-2018v1.png Safe Ireland2016-02-16 08:00:252018-03-24 15:24:53New Domestic Violence Statistics Show 14 Requests for Accommodation Could Not be Met Every Day

Categories

Main Funders:

cuan logocfi logogov irl logogov irl logopobal logohse logo

  • Home
  • Get Help
  • Get Involved
  • About
  • Summit
  • Blog
  • Policy & Publications
  • Donate
  • Media Information
  • Press Releases
  • Tenders and Vacancies
  • Useful Links
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Cookies
  • Exit Website

SAFE Ireland National Social Change Agency CLG is a registered charity: Charity number 20039677; Revenue CHY number 13064. Registered company number 291205.

© Safe Ireland
  • X
  • Facebook
#FaceUpToDomestic Violence – Election 2016 Rally – February 16President Michael D. Higgins holds event for MAN UP and HeforShe at Áras an...
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies
Essential Website Cookies
Google Analytics Cookies
Other external services
Other cookies
Privacy Policy
How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Google Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.

If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Other cookies

The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy
Accept settingsHide notification only
Open Message Bar