We have just reported a concerning 8% increase in interventions to date this year. In 2022, we saw 1,373 interventions, rising to 1,450 last year, and now, this year, they’ve already reached 1,570 interventions.

We have also seen 165 new women seeking support from us in 2024.

Women who are impacted by domestic violence and other forms of abuse experience many challenges at a micro and macro level. When we consider the times we live in, we must reflect upon the past, as the challenges and barriers that women were faced with historically are still present today.

According to Safe Ireland, almost 80% of women who suffer abuse in the home never report it. Fear of negative legal outcomes, financial insecurity, and concerns for their children’s welfare often keep women from leaving unsafe situations. 

Without the support to navigate it, too many are forced to drop out of the court process, leaving them even more vulnerable.

The women we see in Mná Feasa have experienced severe trauma and need all the support we can give them. We listen to their stories with empathy and compassion. Some women have just realised that they are being abused, while others are in the midst of the chaos and beginning their journey of recovery and healing. 

Women caught in an economic trap  

Women are affected severely from a financial perspective where the husband/partner may be the primary earner and the woman is dependent on them for finances. 

If the woman leaves the home, she has no income if she is not working. Or, if she is working, she cannot afford private rental accommodation. 

There is so much poverty among women and their families who are impacted by domestic violence and other forms of abuse. 

In cases such as these, we direct women to the Department of Social Protection. If they need assistance in completing forms, we are here to help with that. 

We also signpost women to other charities such as St Vincent De Paul and Cork Penny Dinners, which are very supportive of families in need.

Cost of accommodation 

Accommodation can be a major barrier for women who want or need to leave an abusive relationship. Some women may have a good support network where they can stay with family; this, however, may only be for a short period as they may not wish to see themselves as a burden on their family and friends.

Women who are in relationships/marriages with mortgages involved find it very difficult to leave the family home due to a lack of financial stability and astronomical costs of private rental accommodation. For those who find themselves in these extremely difficult and traumatic circumstances, we would always recommend that they contact Mná Feasa who in turn will work in collaboration with other services in Cork City, such as Cuanlee Women’s Refuge on Kyrl’s Quay and Edel House on Grattan Street. They offer excellent support and will assist in any way that they can.

Deterrents to reporting abuse

There is also a real fear for women impacted by domestic violence/abuse that their children will be taken away from them. They believe that because of the situation they find themselves in, the social workers who are there to help will become involved and their children may be removed from the home.

This is a huge deterrent for women when it comes to reporting domestic violence/abuse. 

We work as best we can alongside women who find themselves involved in such situations.

Court system is a further challenge

The court system is another area where women come across many challenges and barriers. We support women in accessing protection orders, safety orders and barring orders and we also provide court accompaniment as emotional support when they need to attend court in person.

Court can be extremely daunting for women, causing them huge anxiety and with some needing to arrange childcare. The challenges that arise here are quite frustrating as, on most occasions, cases are adjourned for months at a time. This can result in some women dropping out of the system as they feel they are not being heard.

It is also an extremely long day for women to sit in court — they may be informed to attend court at 10.30am and in most cases they are heard last and, in some cases, are not heard at all. This is extremely frustrating and disappointing for the women and we believe domestic violence/abuse cases should be prioritised in court.

Mná Feasa's call for action

We are calling for action from the incoming government to address the issues that have been outlined. Women need to be listened to; they need to have their voices heard at government level.

Government policy for the future needs to focus on two areas:

1. Service provision and accessibility. This includes increased and consistent funding for the range of services Mná Feasa provides to support women moving out of situations of domestic violence, abuse and coercive control.

There also needs to be a drastic overhaul of the court services to meet the needs of women, children and families.

2. At a second and broader societal level, there is a need for an education and awareness programme, spanning all sectors of the community.

This needs to be aimed at rooting out all attitudes, practices, structures, and interactions underpinning the treatment of women and girls as second-class and unequal.

In the case of Mná Feasa, it would mean funding a community awareness and action programme, so that we could work with clubs, schools, organisations and workplaces to raise awareness around (1) different forms of misogyny embedded in society and (2) how women might recognise and resist the unconscious need to fit in.

This second and broader societal approach is urgently needed so that we don’t just keep supporting individual women to ‘break the cycle’ but that we focus on solving the root problem.

While some of these challenges might appear critical to the services or systems involved, this is not the case.

We only wish to raise awareness around the trauma that women have experienced and that women need to be treated with more compassion, empathy, and understanding. Systemic failure is at play and we must, as a society, acknowledge and understand the challenges women face and encourage change in how we approach and support women and their families who are impacted by domestic violence.

• Barbara O’Driscoll is the team leader with Mná Feasa, a leading Cork charity supporting women affected by domestic violence. 

• Learn more on Mná Feasa's website, MnaFeasa.com.