Know the signs of domestic violence

National Women’s Council has said violence against women is an “epidemic”.

Last Thursday marked the first anniversary of the death of 23-year-old Offaly woman Ashling Murphy.

She died while jogging on the banks of the Grand Canal in Tullamore in broad daylight on January 12, 2022.

In the days and weeks following her death, there was a national public outcry and promises from the Government and people of a zero tolerance approach to gender-based violence in this country.

Thursday was Ashling’s anniversary. The following day, Friday, a woman was found dead, murdered, in an apartment in Dublin. She was Maud Coffey (41), a woman with family connections in the Belturbet area of Cavan. She was the 12th woman killed in the Republic in violent circumstances since Ashling passed away a year previous.

Sadly, in addition to those who lost their lives, there are hundreds of women and children who have sustained serious injury and endured relentless abuse, physical and mental, at the hands of their partners in that time. Many are still living in vulnerable situations.

The National Women’s Council has said violence against women is an “epidemic”, and the Government must take immediate steps to address it.

The comments by director Orla O’Connor came just days before the latest murder. She said the charity will continue to campaign for an end to gender-based violence.

The National Women’s Council believes the root cause of this “epidemic” must be tackled by educating children about misogyny. It must be said that there are many good men – husbands and fathers – who are also appalled by this violence and abuse and stand firmly against it.

It is only through educating our children and leading by example that we, as a society, can truly get to the bottom of the problem and improve safety for women and children, and in some cases men, in their own homes.

We need to call out so-called laddish behaviour, don’t let sexist comments or remarks go unchecked and educate ourselves to the signs that something is wrong. The whole area of coercive control, for example, is a relatively new phenomenon. Of course, it has existed as long as gender-based violence but now it has a name and young women need to be aware of red flags so that they can spot them early in a relationship and understand that relationship may be unhealthy and potentially unsafe.

From a government point of view, the zero tolerance strategy or plan is there and progress is being made on it but this needs to happen much more quickly.

The €363 million Zero Tolerance strategy is built on four pillars – Protection, Prevention, Prosecution and Policy Co-ordination. It contains 144 detailed actions. Among them is the provision of 98 new refuge spaces nationwide including the need for a dedicated refuge to serve Cavan and Monaghan. Efforts are ongoing to identify a suitable site. These need to be ramped up and the project fast tracked.

Calls for a dedicated refuge go back at least a decade.

Let’s never forget the Hawe murder suicide in the east of the county. Clodagh Hawe (39) and her boys - Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6) – who were killed by husband and father Alan Hawe (40) at their home in Castlerahan in August 2016. Mr Hawe then took his own life.

Surviving members of Clodagh’s family – the Colls and Connollys – have also repeatedly called for a refuge and increased supports for domestic violence victims.

Legislation is being brought forward to double penalties for the perpetrators of domestic violence to terms of up to 10 years for those convicted.

That is most welcome and overdue and judges must come down heavy on those convicted before the courts to get the message out loud and clear – gender based violence will not be tolerated in our society and the penalties for perpetrators will be harsh.

* There are two men before the courts charge in relation to the murders of Ashling and Maud.

* If you are a victim of domestic violence and need help/support, call Women’s Aid on 1800-341-900, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

* Check out www.womensaid.ie for more information on the signs of domestic violence and coercive control.