Women’s Aid recently revealed women experiencing domestic violence are disclosing the extra stress of the festive period triggers more frequent and at times more severe abuse at home.
Ahead of Christmas, Gort Family Resource Centre is highlighting recent changes in legislation which mean people in abusive relationships have more legal protection than before.
“We all know how stressful it can be at Christmas and while it can be a trigger for domestic violence, unfortunately domestic violence is something that occurs all year round and it can happen to any woman, regardless of their socio-economic status, so rich or poor, it could happen to you,” said Annie Rozario, coordinator of Gort FRC.
“We really want to get across to people though that there is now more protection than ever. There have been changes in the law, which came into force in August but really haven’t been well publicised,” she continued.
To get this information into the public domain, the Family Resource centres in Galway and Mayo have come together and produced a leaflet that has been translated into a number of European languages.
“The Family Resource centres in Galway and Mayo belong to the Western Region Community Response to Domestic Violence Network. Included in the network are the frontline services from Waterside House, Galway, the domestic violence refuge in Galway and Mayo Women’s Support Services. It was becoming clear to us, listening to the representatives of these front-line services, that it can be quite challenging to explain to people who are experiencing domestic violence and might be in particular distress, what options are available to them. This is particularly problematic when English is not the person’s first language. We all know that in these recessionary times we are in, organisations in the voluntary sector don’t have the luxury of employing interpreters, especially on a repeat basis, if we have to meet a woman more than one time,” Annie explained.
Break Free, the Western Region Community Response to Domestic Violence, outlines the protections available under the law, who qualifies for these protections and where further help and information is available.
“Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness travelled from Dublin to launch this leaflet, which I think says a lot about its worth and value and reflects her opinion on this collaborative effort. She is a former president of the Law Reform Commission and a former judge of the Circuit Court, High Court and Supreme Court of Ireland. She also worked in the area of family law for many years. It was such an honour to have her launch this,” Ms Rozario said.
The leaflet details the two main kinds of protection available under the Domestic Violence Act 1996, Safety Orders and Barring Orders. It also explains the changes to those who qualify for these orders following the introduction of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2011.
While married people or couples living together can apply for protection from violence from their partner, the new bill means that legal protection from domestic violence now extends to parents with a child together, regardless of cohabitation or marriage. Same-sex couples living together are also eligible for orders under the Domestic Violence Act in the same way as opposite-sex cohabitants. A parent can apply for protection against domestic violence by their child if the child is over 18 and a person living with someone “in a relationship not primarily based on a contract” such as relatives, could be granted a safety order.
“These changes to the law are hugely important but they are not well publicised. The leaflet is called Break Free and is available in all FRCs in Galway and Mayo. The other thing I would say is that people experiencing domestic violence can come into the FRC here in Gort and we have received training in this area and will deal with things in the strictest confidence.
“We know how sensitive this area is and we are here to provide information and support. We also provide low-cost counselling where people can ring the centre and enquire.
“They don’t need to give their name and we put them in touch with the counsellor directly,” Ms Rozario concluded.
Women’s Aid is a voluntary organisation to assist victims of domestic violence. They have a national freephone helpline, 1800 341 900.
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