Women’s Aid received the highest number of disclosures of domestic violence and abuse in its 50-year history last year, with more than 41,000 women reporting abuse by their partner or ex-partner, and more than 5,000 reporting abuse of children.
The 2024 figure for disclosures, up 17 per cent on 2023, included reports of assaults with weapons, constant surveillance, relentless put downs and humiliations, taking and sharing of intimate images online, complete control over all family finances, sexual assault, rape and being threatened with theirs or their children’s lives.
Five women, the report notes, died in violent circumstances in 2024.
The number and nature of the abuse disclosures is “utterly appalling” but is “just the tip of the iceberg”, said Women’s Aid chief executive Sarah Benson. “Fear, stigma and the debilitating impact of the abuse itself, but also persisting social attitudes to domestic violence, prevent victims from coming forward.”
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Much work needs to be done to break the silence to encourage those in need to get the support they deserve, she said. Domestic violence must be tackled by champions across society and men are needed “to lead as allies in prevention of male violence”.
Women’s Aid, she said, is concerned about the “inconsistent” response from members of An Garda Síochána to record numbers of domestic violence and abuse contacts, including more than 65,000 contacts to the force last year.
While there was “excellent progress” in areas such as the National Protective Services Bureau, 44 per cent of women said they found the gardaí response unhelpful when they sought support. Specialist training regarding domestic abuse and stalking must be a “core part” of training for all members, not just those in specialist units.
Young women, Ms Benson noted, are reporting very high levels of intimate partner and other forms of gender-based violence. A continuing increase in online or technology-facilitated gender-based violence showed the harm of online pornography but there is “little meaningful accountability” for online platforms and perpetrators.
The report said the housing crisis and issues with the family and criminal law processes adversely impact on the ability of victim-survivors to access justice and safety, with greater challenges for those with disabilities and migrant backgrounds.
One in three women in contact with Women’s Aid services were being subjected to domestic abuse from their ex-partner, said Eavan Ward, the organisation’s head of regional services.
Separating from a controlling and abusive partner is difficult and a time of heightened risk, she said. Many women needed to access the courts about children’s matters but the “prolonged, costly and disempowering” family law system “is failing many women and children”.
The process often results in unsafe custody and access arrangements which disregard the impact of domestic abuse, including coercive control on children, she said.
The annual impact report for 2024, published on Wednesday, discloses that Women’s Aid national and regional frontline services were contacted 32,144 times in 2024, up 12 per cent on 2023. There were 46,765 disclosures of incidents of domestic violence and abuse – 41,432 against women and 5,333 against children – up 17 per cent on 2023.
Allegation of sexual abuse rose by 30 per cent, physical abuse by 22 per cent, emotional abuse by 15 per cent and economic abuse by 5 per cent.
Specialist services are “overstretched and underfunded” and resourcing by Government and implementation of the Third National Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Strategy remains “crucial” to effectively reduce the scale and impacts of violence against women and children in Ireland, the organisation said.
The final implementation plan for that strategy, published on Tuesday by Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, sets out 95 actions, including expansion of refuge accommodation.
