One in five women will experience violence in an intimate relationship at some stage in their lives, the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, told a conference in Dublin yesterday.
An essential element in addressing domestic violence was the reporting of such incidents, the Minister told the intergovernmental conference
"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. In encouraging greater reporting of such incidents we must also ensure that the victim receives sympathetic and effective support.
"If we are to tackle domestic violence we must ensure that victims who do come forward and report incidents receive the full support of society and of the State."
Mr O'Donoghue asked why societies had been unable to resolve the problem and said the conference would contribute to the development of policies to achieve that objective. "International experience tells us that one in five women experience violence in an intimate relationship at some stage of their lives. For some it can be a daily occurrence. And we know also that men can be victims of domestic violence," he said. International research had shown that children were present in more than 80 per cent of domestic violence incidents.
Such children often carried a greater risk of experiencing domestic violence in later life, either as perpetrators or victims. Perpetrator programmes targeting those who committed such acts were also a priority, said Mr O'Donoghue.
"I think it is fair, on the basis of those figures, to pose the question: why have our societies been unable to resolve this? I am confident that today's conference will contribute to the development of policies which will enable all of us to achieve that objective."
The conference, called "Raising the Standards", brought together experts from Ireland and the UK to share information on successful initiatives. The gathering is part of an initiative involving police, judiciary and civil servants.
An essential element in addressing domestic violence is the reporting of such incidents, the Minister said.
"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. In encouraging greater reporting of such incidents we must also ensure that the victim receives sympathetic and effective support," he added.