Sir, - It's disturbing to read that almost one quarter of female murders since 1970 involved the killing of a wife by her husband, while only three per cent of male murders involved the killing of a husband by his wife. These are the figures from the Department of Justice, which were issued at a seminar on violence against women organised by the Minister of State at the Office of the Tanaiste, Ms Eithne Fitzgerald, (report, November 27th).
There was a number of great suggestions at this seminar, such as that offences which increased - in frequency and intensity should be taken more seriously by those responding to domestic violence, and a rape victim should be given the right to her own lawyer at every step of the process when dealing with the legal system.
How much violence towards women goes unreported? Women should be encouraged to report instances of violence against them to the relevant authorities at the earliest opportunity. - Yours etc.,
St Columba's Lodge, off Church Avenue,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.