Meath Women’s Refuge encouraging women in abusive relationships to come forward and seek help
Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Service was forced to turn away 121 women who needed emergency accommodation from domestic violence last year, according to its latest annual report, which was published at an online event this week.
The service recently announced a new refuge building, which will be a custom-built facility for women and children and will be completed in the county over the next two years.
At the launch of the report, survivors of abuse and support service staff came together online to highlight the need for more proactive strategies in Ireland to identify domestic abuse earlier and prevent these emergencies from happening.
Speaking at the event Sinead Smith, manager of Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services spoke about the women who reach out to the service but she said it is critical to remember there are many other women who are not reaching out.
“We supported 477 women last year.“60 per cent of the women who came to us for help were aged over 30 and many of them had children. Only 13 per cent of women who contacted us were under 30.
“But the reality is that there are many more young women in our community who are being controlled, manipulated, emotionally abused and sexually abused by their partners but they do not look for help. Young women aren’t recognising the warning signs. In five or 10 years they could be calling us for emergency refuge with young children. So what does this government need to do now to prevent these tragedies?”
Meath woman, Avril D’Arcy is an advocate and campaigner on domestic violence. Avril was emotionally and psychologically abused by her partner for over three years and believes there needs to be more emphasis on control, manipulation and power “because all abuse starts somewhere.”
She encourages women to come forward and to look for help. “For me there were so many services that I didn’t know were there. I didn’t know they were for me because I wasn’t in a violent situation. I wish more women knew there is help out there for them too.”
Sarah Grace is a sexual attack survivor and solicitor who is now campaigning for legal reform of the justice system and also spoke at the event on Friday. “We have serious lack of education in Ireland around sexual assault and consent and we are not taught to talk about these things” she said.
Sarah has received a lot of support since sending an open letter to Justice Minister Helen McEntee outlining the need for reform in this area, since the conviction of her attacker.
“I do think there has been a huge amount of public support on these issues which gives me hope but we shouldn’t be complacent because we need to speak up for more compassion in our justice system and in our day-to-day lives,” she said at the event.
Sinead Smith said the event really confirmed how much work is still to be done for women’s safety. “I am really struck by how much work there is to do. We are still living in an Ireland with a lot of preconceived attitudes both to abusive relationships and sexual violence. Sexual violence is an issue that women are very reluctant to speak about when they come to our services. Often that is because they are afraid of other people’s reactions and perceptions. It’s clear we need to change so that survivors can speak and feel comfortable”.
She said investment in prevention support work is also critical. “We know that lots of young women who are in dating relationships or living with their partners do not see themselves as needing our services. They think domestic violence services are only for women and children but we need to challenge that and start more conversations with younger women. So we are looking forward to doing that in the future.
“We need to speak to younger people about control, dating violence and sexual violence and help people to understand domestic violence doesn’t just begin when you get older. We need a dedicated minister and Office for Gender Based Violence with ring fenced resources to drive strategic change and ensure a whole of government approach to implement the national plan. Prevention is the only smart way to tackle this issue,” she said.