Women suffering from spending cuts

Published: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Women suffering at the hands of a violent partner are bearing the brunt of cuts on statutory agencies, it has been claimed.

Safe Ireland revealed that one day last year 555 women and 324 children were accommodated or received support from a domestic violence service - that is 23 women and 13 children who needed help every hour of November 4, 2010.

Sharon O'Halloran, director of Safe Ireland, said there had to be leadership from politicians and the new president, and a complete systems overhaul so women and children are put centre-stage.

"At present, women and children were feeling the brunt of statutory agency policies that were often about saving money over safety," she said.

"We have to go beyond numbers, to acknowledge that each statistic represents a crime against a woman, a mother, an expectant mother, a toddler or a teenager, each living with fear, brutality and uncertainty in their own homes.

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