This article is from page 11 of the 2006-09-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
THE only woman candidate standing in Clare at the next General Election has placed the issue of domestic violence against women at the forefront of her election campaign.
Former Clare TD, Madeleine Taylor-Quinn, has revealed a set of key policy proposals, aimed at helping victims and catching the perpetrators. The measures cover an entire gamut, from institutional reform through to practical assistance for women who feel a lack of confidence in the capacity of the criminal justice system to protect them.
“One in four women in Ireland experience sexual abuse in their lifetime and at least one in five who have an intimate relationship experience systemic violence from a partner. I share the view of Amnesty International that, while violence against women is largely perpetrated by men, the majority of men are not perpetrators. However, those who are violent must be effectively dealt with by our criminal justice system, and their victims carefully protected from them,” she said.
She emphasised that individuals and agencies such as Clare Haven House should be fully supported and resourced.
“A central issue is that the vast majority of victims do not report what has happened to them, partly because there remains a stigma and shame around domestic violence, but very frequently because women lack confidence in the criminal justice system to protect them. The overwhelming majority of reports by women do not result in a conviction, so adding to the lack of confidence in the system and to the risk to victims. Moreover, domestic violence in the household has a deep effect on children. Witnessing domestic abuse is deemed a form of child abuse in child protection guidelines.”
She said that organisations, including Amnesty, report increasing calls to helplines, but that these were inadequately resourced to cope, leaving vulnerable victims to cope without appropriate help.