Almost 20,000 reports of domestic abuse against women and children last year

"Domestic violence is an abuse of a woman's human right."

Women's Aid received almost 17,000 disclosures of domestic abuse against women last year. This included over 10,000 disclosures of emotional abuse, 3,816 reports of physical abuse, over 500 reports of sexual abuse, and 1,540 instances of financial abuse. There were also an additional 3,728 disclosures of child abuse made to the charity. Women's Aid shared their impact report for 2018 today, stating that children need increased protection when access visits are granted for the perpetrators of domestic violence. "Domestic violence is an abuse of a woman’s human rights," said director Margaret Martin.

"The right to live a life, in private and public, free of fear and violence. For one in five women in Ireland this human right is denied every day. "Women’s Aid understands that violence against women is both a cause of and manifestation of women’s inequality and we have worked for decades to improve the status of women to help bring an end to this persistent human rights abuse."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvqpVbTH32e/ In 2018 there were 3,728 disclosures of child abuse made to Women’s Aid. These included children being physically, sexually and emotionally abused, as well as witnessing such abuse against their mothers. The charity said that child witnesses to domestic abuse require long-term support and counselling services, however this is rarely supplied. "These needs however are rarely met," reads the impact report.

"In 2016 more than 3,685 children received support from specialist domestic violence services of these 1,165 were less than 5 years old. "In total there were 2,206 child admission to refuge. However, many children seeking emergency accommodation with their mothers were not accommodated as the refuges were full."

Women's Aid receives on average 44 calls a day from victims of domestic abuse looking for help, support, and advice. 84 percent of the women who contacted the charity last year were being abused by a current or former male intimate partner, with 16 percent reporting abuse from a non-intimate male family member or another person. Over half of the women who reported abuse from a current of former male partner were still in a relationship with the abuser at the time of their call. 95 percent of calls last year came from women. Five percent were from men. You can access their 2018 impact report in full here.  If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women's Aid 24 hours a day on 1800 341 900.