Department of Justice must urgently act on report’s findings
Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy has called on the Government to urgently implement the recommendations of an independent study which found that an average of four women in Ireland died every year between 2014 and 2019 as a result of family violence.
Deputy Murphy, who is the party’s justice spokesperson, said:
“The findings of the study are truly shocking. A review of familicide, domestic and family violence deaths found that, over the past two decades, there was no year without a female death due to family violence.
“Data provided by the Office of the State Pathologist also found that women represented the majority (55 per cent) of adult victims of family violence for the years examined.
“Regardless of age or gender, every death recorded in the study represents a profound human tragedy.
“However, the findings show that 15 women compared to six men died at the hands of a current or former intimate partner. Of the women victims, 71 per cent were killed by a current or former partner, with perpetrators of family violence being predominantly male (87 per cent).
“This shows that the disproportionate risks faced by women cannot be overlooked.
“The Department of Justice should immediately implement the recommendations of this report, which includes the establishment of a national database for reporting on domestic and family violence deaths.
“The Government must also fulfil its obligations under the Istanbul Convention by dramatically increasing the number of refuge spaces for those fleeing domestic violence.”
May 31, 2023