Instead of helping these women escape their abuser and find safety and security, the State becomes complicit in their abuse. Last year, on International Women’s Day, the director of the National Women’s Council, Orla O’Connor, issued a prescient warning. “The Council of Europe Convention sets out the minimum refuge spaces required by a State, and at present Ireland only have one-third the recommended spaces. Of these women and children, an average of 575 women and 98 children accessed the service for the first time. What will it take for the Government to seriously address the huge dearth of women’s refuge spaces around the country?

Source: Irish Independent November 25, 2020 02:26 UTC