National and International Statistics

Prevalence of domestic violence in Ireland

  • In 2010, there were 13,575 incidents of domestic violence disclosed to the Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline. There were 8,351 incidents of emotional abuse, 3,031 incidents of physical abuse and 1,605 incidents of financial abuse disclosed. In the same year, 588 incidents of sexual abuse were disclosed to Helpline support workers including 213 rapes. The Women's Aid National Helpline responded to 10,055 calls in 2010. (Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline and Support Services Statistics Report 2010)
  • In 2010, the Women's Aid One to One Support Service provided 430 one to one support visits, accommodated 164 court accompaniments and gave further telephone support to, and advocacy for, women on 1,150 occasions throughout the year. (Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline and Support Services Statistics Report 2010)
  • National Research commissioned by Women's Aid has shown that 18% (1 in 5) of Irish women surveyed who have been involved in intimate relationships with men, have been abused by a current or former partner. (Making the Links, 1995)
  • National Research by the National Crime Council found that 1 in 7 women have experienced severe abusive behaviour of a physical, sexual or emotional nature from a partner at some times in their lives. The survey estimates that 213,000 women in Ireland have been severely abused by a partner. (Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland: Report on the National Study of Domestic Abuse, National Crime Council and ERSI, 2005).
  • In a one-day survey on 4th November 2010, 555 women and 324 children were accommodated and/or received support from a domestic violence service; 140 helpline calls were received from women; 108 women were accommodated in refuge and 98 women in transitional housing; 18 women could not be accommodated due to lack of space. (Safe Ireland 2011, 'And Just Another Day': A national one day count of women and children accessing Safe Ireland domestic violence services)

Domestic violence - the International context

  • 25% of all violent crimes reported involve a man assaulting his wife or partner. (EU Campaign Against Domestic Violence, 2000)
  • At least 1 in 3 women, or up to one billion women, have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetimes. Usually, the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her. (Ending Violence against Women, L Heise, M Ellsberg, M Gottemoeller, 1999)
  • One in five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. (WHO Report, 1997)

Domestic violence - a pattern, not an isolated event

  • Domestic violence has a higher rate of repeat victimisation than any other type of crime. (2000 British Crime Survey: England and Wales. Home Office 2001)
  • Irish research found that 24% of those who had experienced domestic violence, reported experiencing one form of violence, 25% had experienced two or three types of violence, 20% had experienced four to seven types of violence and 31% had experience eight or more types. ([Fiona Bradley, et al. Reported Frequency of Domestic Violence; Cross sectional survey of women attending general practice. British Medical Journal; Vol. 324: Pg. 271)
  • 47% of men who beat their wives do so at least 3 times a year. (AMA Diagnostic & Treatment Guidelines on Domestic Violence, SEC: 94-677:3M;9/94 (1994))

Domestic violence and female homicide

  • Since 1996 there have been 179 women murdered in the Republic of Ireland. 109 women (61%) were killed in their own homes. (Women's Aid Female Homicide Media Watch, March 2012)
  • In the resolved cases 71 women (53%) were murdered by a partner or ex-partner. (Women's Aid Female Homicide Media Watch, March 2012)
  • Another 47 women were killed by someone they knew (e.g. brother, son, neighbour). Thus, a total of 118 women (88%) were killed by someone known to them. In all of the resolved cases, 99% of perpetrators were male and 1% was female. (Women's Aid Female Homicide Media Watch, March 2012)
  • In the UK between 2001 and 2002, 46% of female homicide victims compared with 5% of male homicide victims were killed by a current or former partner. Over 2 women a week were killed by a former or current partner during this period. (Flood-Page et al, Crime in England and Wales 2001/2002: Supplementary Volume, Home Office, 2003)
  • 40 - 70% of women who are murdered worldwide are killed by their current or former husband or boyfriend. (World Report on Violence and Health, WHO, 2002).

Sexual violence

  • Almost one quarter (23.6%) of perpetrators of sexual violence against women were intimate partners or ex-partners. ('The Savi Report: Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland; A National Study of Irish Experiences, Beliefs and Attitudes Concerning Sexual Violence', 2002)
  • 4 out of 10 women who had been involved in sexual relationship with a man experience violence ('Reported frequency of domestic violence; cross sectional survey of women attending general practice', Bradley, Fiona et al. 2002)
  • Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's National Helpline carried out 9,141 counselling calls in 2010. 83% of callers were female. Trained volunteers at the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre attended the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit with 294 victims in 2010. (Rape Crisis Centre Statistics, 2010).
  • 1,407 sexual offences were reported to An Garda Síochána in 2008. This figure includes 342 rapes and 891 sexual assaults. (Garda Recorded Crime Statistics, Central Statistics Office, 2004 - 2008)

Domestic violence - an issue of gender

  • 1 in 7 women in Ireland compared to 1 in 17 men experience severe domestic violence. Women are over twice as likely as men to have experienced severe physical abuse, seven times more likely to have experienced sexual abuse, and are more likely to experience serious injuries than men. (National Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland, 2005)
  • 90% of the more systematic, persistent and injurious violence that is instrumental in the maintenance of power, is perpetrated by men. (Male Victims of Domestic Violence: A Substantive and Methodology Research Review, Michael S. Kimmel, 2001)
  • A major study of police reports and crime surveys in the UK, USA and Canada found that between 90 and 97% of perpetrators of violence in intimate relationships are men. (Dobash and Dobash, Women, Violence and Social Change, 1992)

Domestic violence and the legal system

  • In 2010 there were 9,945 applications under the Domestic Violence Act (1996). 2,726 Barring orders were applied for and 1,064 were granted; 3,561 Safety orders were applied for and 1,457 were granted; 2,926 Protection orders were applied for and 2672 were granted and 530 Interim Barring orders were applied for and 431 granted. In all types of orders except Protection orders, the majority of the orders that were not granted were struck out/withdrawn. [Central Statistics Office (2011) Court Services Statistics for 2010]
  • The Garda Recorded Crime Statistics Report for 2006 states that there were 1,184 incidents of Breaching Domestic Violence Orders Offences in that year alone. This resulted in 349 convictions. 95% of persons convicted were male and 5% were female. (Central Statistics Office, Garda Recorded Crime Statistics 2003-2006, 2008)
  • In 2003, the Gardaí recorded 8,452 incidents of domestic abuse. (An Garda Síochána Annual Report, 2003)
  • 90% of domestic abuse offenders in 2003 were male, whilst 93% of complainants were female. Of the 1,418 arrests made in relation to domestic abuse, 1,203 were charged and 650 were convicted. (An Garda Siochana Annual Report, 2003).
  • On average a woman will be assaulted by her partner or ex-partner 35 times before reporting it to the police. (Yearnshire, S. 'Analysis of cohort', IN Bewley S, Friend J and Mezey G (Eds.) Violence Against Women. London. RCOG, 1997)

Domestic violence and homelessness

  • In 2010, there were 1,545 admissions of women and 2,355 admissions of children to refuge in Ireland. (SAFE Ireland 2011, 2010 Annual Statistics)
    In 2003, 26% of women who presented as homeless to the Irish Homeless Persons Unit had become homeless as a result of domestic violence. (O'Connor & Wilson, Safe Home, Sonas Housing Association Model of Supported Transitional Housing, 2004)
  • In response to a consultation by Women's Aid, one women's refuge reported being unable to accommodate 303 women and over 300 children between January and October 2006. (Election 2007- Putting Domestic Violence On The Agenda, December 2006).
  • In 2004 the 3 refuges in the Eastern Region refused more than twice as many women as they accommodated. 1,144 women were refused refuge as the refuge was full. (Health Service Executive, response to Parliamentary Question, 2006).

Domestic violence and children

  • In 2009, there were 1,814 specific incidents of child abuse disclosed to the Women's Aid National Freephone Helpline. (Women's Aid National Helpline and Support Services Statistics Report, 2009)
  • In the UK, nearly 75% of children on the 'at risk' register live in households where domestic violence occurs. (UK Department of Health, 2002)
  • Safety and Sanctions, research conducted by Women's Aid into domestic violence and the enforcement of law in Ireland in 1999, showed that children were present in the house or witnessed the violence in a significant amount of cases. (Safety & Sanctions, Women's Aid, 1999)
  • In Making the Links, 64% of women who experienced violence reported that their children had witnessed the violence. (Making the Links, Women's Aid, 1995)

Domestic violence and health

  • Women who have experienced domestic violence are at an increased risk of depression and suicide attempts; physical injuries; psychosomatic disorders; unwanted pregnancies; HIV and other STD's; being killed by a partner. (World Health Organisation, World Report on Violence and Health, 2002)
  • A study conducted by the Rotunda Maternity Hospital found that in a sample of 400 pregnant women, 12.5% (1 in 8) had experienced abuse while they were pregnant. (O'Donnell S, Fitzpatrick John M, Mc Kenna PF, Abuse in Pregnancy - The Experience of Women, Nov 2000, Vol 98, No. 8)
  • 5% of women in Ireland who experienced severe abuse in an intimate relationship suffered a miscarriage as a result of the abuse. (National Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland, 2005)

Leaving and post-separation abuse

  • In Making the Links, the single biggest reason why women did not leave violent partners was having nowhere to go (88%). 44% of women cited fear of further violence as the main reason for not leaving. (Making the Links, Women's Aid, 1995)
  • 30% of victims who disclosed being severely abused said that the abuse continued after the relationship had ended. (National Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland, 2005)
  • 76% of women who have separated from abusive partners suffer post-separation violence. Of these women, 76% were subjected to continual verbal and emotional abuse; 41% were subjected to serious threats, (either towards themselves or their children); 23% were subjected to physical violence; 6% were subjected to sexual violence. (Humphreys & Thiara, Routes to Safety, Women's Aid Federation UK, 2002)

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