Women's Aid is a leading national organisation that has been working to address the issue of domestic violence in Ireland for more than 35 years. In addition to providing direct services to women, they also engage in training research and campaigning. As part of their current campaign, ‘One in Five Women’ they send out ’16 Facts for 16 days’ by email from the 25th of November to the 10th of December. Here they are in summary:

• Day 1: Prevalence of Domestic Violence against women in Ireland. 1 in 5 Irish women who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner.

• Day 2: Violence against Women Globally. International research consistently demonstrates that a woman is more likely to be assaulted, injured, raped, or killed by a current or former partner than by any other person.

• Day 3: Sexual Violence. More than 4 in 10 (42%) women in Ireland have experienced some form of sexual abuse or assault in their lifetime.

• Day 4: Domestic Violence and Minority Women. In 2010, minority ethnic women represented nearly a third (29%) of Women's Aid Support Service users.

• Day 5: Domestic Violence: a pattern, not an isolated event. Almost three quarters of incidents of domestic violence (73%) involve repeat offending, with over one in four victims (27%) attacked three or more times.

• Day 6: Domestic Violence and Children. In the UK, nearly 75% of children on the 'at risk' register live in households where domestic violence occurs.

• Day 7: Domestic Violence and Health. A study conducted by the Rotunda Maternity Hospital found that in a sample of 400 pregnant women, 1 in 8 had experienced abuse while they were pregnant.

• Day 8: Domestic Violence and Injury. For women aged 15-44 worldwide, acts of violence cause more death and disability than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents, and war combined.

• Day 9: The economic cost of Domestic Violence. The estimated economic cost of domestic violence to the Irish economy is €2.2billion a year.

• Day 10: Domestic Violence and the Legal System. Only 29% of women who had experienced severe abuse had reported it to An Garda Síochána.

• Day 11: Obstacles to Leaving Abusive Relationships. In 2010, on over 3,236 occasions services were unable to accommodate women and their children because the refuge was full or there was no refuge in their area.

• Day 12: Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation. 1 in 15 men in Ireland reported that they buy sex. 25% of men who bought sex stated that they had met a woman who they felt was being forced into prostitution.

• Day 13: Domestic Violence and Young Women. In a 2007 survey of 715 university students, 44% knew at least one woman or girl who had been hit by a boyfriend or partner.

• Day 14: Domestic Violence and Homelessness. In 2010, there were 1,545 admissions of women and 2,355 admissions of children to refuge in Ireland.

• Day 15: Domestic Violence and Gender. 1 in 7 women in Ireland compared to 1 in 17 men experience severe domestic violence.

• Day 16: Domestic Violence and Homicide. 40-70% of women who are murdered worldwide are killed by their current or former husband or boyfriend, frequently in the context of an ongoing abusive relationship.

You can find out more about Women’s Aid and this campaign on their website, http://www.womensaid.ie/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:            Friday, December 9th 2011                                                                                                                                                              
 
The Irish Feminist Network has condemned the measures contained in the Social Welfare Bill 2011 which, they say, amount to an attack on women and children.

Co-ordinator Alison Spillane said, “While we welcome the Minister’s decision to remove the sections relating to cuts and changes to the Disability Allowance, this Bill still contains a number of extremely regressive measures which will make life even more difficult for thousands of people and serve to decrease domestic demand and stifle the economy further”.

“The changes to the One-Parent Family Payment, the reductions in Child Benefit for large families, the withdrawal of the multiple births grant, and the extension of means testing to HSE home helpers amount to a vicious assault on women and children, particularly those who are less well-off”, Ms Spillane said.

“We call on all TDs to take a stand for women and children and vote against the Social Welfare Bill 2011 in the Dáil today.”

In general Budget 2012 shows a continuation the same failed policies pursued by the Fianna Fáil/Green Party administration. The claim that this Budget is about ‘jobs, reform, and fairness’ does not stand up to the slightest analysis – the proposals it contains are short-sighted and poorly thought out. Austerity in isolation will not create either jobs or growth. In fact, the measures contained in Budget 2012 will take, at least, a further 15,000 jobs out of the economy – this strategy is non-sensical.

“Furthermore, women’s groups throughout the country will be disproportionately affected by the decision to cut funding to the National Women’s Council by 35% even though the resultant savings will have virtually no impact on the deficit.”

“The government had real choices in this budget. For example, introducing a third band of income tax on incomes over €100,000 could raise €760 million for the Exchequer and a temporary levy on corporate profits could yield nearly €900 million. Instead, they have chosen to focus on consumption taxes, such as the VAT increase, which are the most regressive form of taxation and will disproportionately impact on low income groups. This budget is an affront to the notion of equality.”

ENDS