Thanks to Offaly Independent for there support. ODVSS present shocking figures Tuesday, 2nd July, 2013 3:36pmJump to commentsOffaly Domestic Violence Support Service (ODVSS) this week presented shocking statistics which show that domestic violence across Ireland and in Offaly is a daily threat for women of all ages and at all life stages.On just one day in Ireland - November 6, 2012 - 537 women and 311 children were accommodated and/or received support from a domestic violence service, ODVSS revealed on Monday after the publication of the SAFE Ireland national, annual, one-day census.ODVSS is a member of SAFE Ireland, which is the national network of frontline domestic violence services. ODVSS is one of the 37 services that feed into the collation of this valuable 24-hour snapshot of the magnitude of violence against women and the daily supports being provided by frontline domestic violence services.Among the women looking for safety on that one day there were 22 pregnant women, a finding that chairperson of ODVSS Molly Buckley says is particularly alarming, but which highlights that women suffer lifetimes of abuse.The census also shows that 40 women accessing domestic violence services on that day were over the age of 56, with 14 over the age of 65. The majority – 346 women – were aged between 26 and 45, with 64 young women aged between 16 and 25 also looking for support. A total of 117 women and 152 children were accommodated in refuge and 21 women could not be accommodated because there wasn’t enough space.“Sadly pregnancy offers no protection from domestic violence,” Ms Buckley said. “Our services regularly work with women who are beaten and raped during pregnancy, often resulting in miscarriage. From the national census one woman told us how she was beaten so badly that her baby was born with two black eyes. And still we, as a country and as a society, don’t take this seriously.”Development manager of ODVSS Anne Clarke emphasized that the state and society must recognise domestic violence as the life-threatening crime it is. Too often, the state response to women in critical areas like justice, housing or health is “nothing short of appalling, often leaving women disbelieved, frustrated and with no choice but to remain in unsafe homes,” she said. A women will reportedly return to the home on average seven times before she finally leaves. Ms Clarke stressed that domestic violence is a crime that is not taken seriously, and said a women may be abused 35 times before she confides in someone.“For the 537 women accessing our services on that one day there were at least 537 men living in our communities who were raping, beating, bullying, intimidating and abusing women,” Ms Clarke continued. “This is not just couples having a mild tiff. This is a crime that injures, scars, kills, intimidates, controls. This is deadly serious and must be taken seriously.”International research has found that 25 per cent of women who experience domestic violence are abused for the first time when they become pregnant. The Rotunda Hospital conducted research in 2000, which found that one in eight women in Ireland surveyed were being abused during their current pregnancy.Offaly Domestic Violence in 2012 recorded a 38 per cent increase in new clients contacting the service. Since 2009 client contacts have increased by over 100 per cent, from 318 to 636.ODVSS provides practical and crisis support, advocacy, referrals, outreach, one to one support, court accompaniment, a support line, educational programmes and awareness raising. If you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence or abuse contact ODVSS on 0579351886, [email protected] or odvss.ie.READ 145 0 0EMAILPRINT
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 08:22:33 +0000
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