Women's organisations and groups which provide vital counselling, support and crisis services were seriously underfunded and lacked resources, it was stated yesterday.
A research report commissioned by the National Women's Council of Ireland (NWCI), Framing the Future, calls on the Government to define a strategy for providing realistic funding for the 2,631 such organisations and groups in the State.
These organisations cater for up to 75,000 women annually.
The strategy should incorporate a programme of cross-departmental funding and a scheme of assistance established by the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs, the report states.
At the publication of the report in Dublin yesterday, Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Mary Wallace, said every time a step like this was taken, it was a step in the direction of empowering women.
Not enough women were involved in the decision-making process but these groups empowered women politicians, she said.
The report found that 79 per cent of locally based community groups and 65 per cent of women's organisations and projects generally were operating on less than £1,000 per annum.
Chairwoman of NWCI Ms Grβinne Healy said the report was one of the most important pieces of research on women for many years.
"There is a clear and urgent need for a defined strategy by the Government to provide realistic funding for these organisations and groups, many of which are providing vital counselling, support and crisis services for women."
Ms Healy called on the Minister to lobby her colleagues in government to support the vital work of women's groups.
Women's organisations engaged in a wide variety of activities, meeting important social, educational and support needs in the lives of local women and played a vibrant and invaluable role in the broader community, she said.
Women's groups served the needs of a diverse range of women including those living in rural and urban areas, disabled, lone parents, lesbians, those experiencing violence, minority ethnics, travellers, widows, and older women.
The publication of the report posed a challenge to the NWCI and the Government to take note of the needs of women's groups and support their work, she said.
"We expect the Government to respond by creating a budget line, which is accessible to local women's groups and to support the NWCI to build the capacity of the sector through the creation of a support unit for women's groups."
Ms Marian Flannery, from Women of the North West, criticised the Government: "The EU, Government, all speak the gospel of equality so I often ask why rural women are so badly neglected in the general support of equality."
Representing the Ballymun Women's Resource Centre, Ms Kathleen Maher said the group had undertaken work with local women in an area with high unemployment and drug abuse.
"Voluntary workers are trying to right the wrongs that have emerged or evolved as a result of ignorance and neglect by the State and by national organisations."
The research study was conducted by Kelleher Associates.