Children are present during 80 per cent of violent incidents in the home and as a result are more likely to be the victims or perpetrators of domestic violence as adults, the Minster for Justice, Mr O’Donoghue, said today.
Speaking at an Irish/British intergovernmental conference on domestic violence today, the Minister said Ireland has some of the best legislation in Europe in place to deal with the problem and that reporting incidents was key to addressing the issue.
"We need to ensure that effective measures are taken to encourage victims of such violence to come forward and seek the help they so desperately need," he said.
He outlined a co-operation network between agencies, health boards, local authorities, the Garda and Government departments in addressing the problem but reminded the conference that legislation also had a part to play.
He said international surveys suggest one-in-five women experience violence in a domestic relationship but said the problem also affected men.
"[Domestic violence] has been best described as an expression of power and control in a relationship. It is, nonetheless, a crime, and one that can affect anyone, in any walk of life and with no regard to age or gender," he said.
The conference’s aim is to improve and develop policies for tackling domestic violence by sharing information and analysing how agencies reacted to particular incidents.