Sinn Féin bill would give 10 days' paid leave to domestic violence victims
Cases Of Domestic Violence Reports The Throughout To According A Grown Pandemic Have Number
Victims of domestic violence would be entitled to up to 10 days' paid leave under a Sinn Féin bill which will come before the Dáil this week.
The party will use its Private Members' time on Tuesday to bring forward the Organisation of Working Time (Domestic Violence Leave) Bill 2019 which was first published last December.
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald and Limerick TD Maurice Quinlivan have drafted the bill and have scheduled it to coincide with the final day of the '16 Days of Action' campaign to help shine a light on this issue and to try and build cross-party support for the legislation.
Ms McDonald said the bill is needed to recognise the impact that domestic violence has on the totality of a person's life.
It places obligations on employers to respect the confidentiality of workers but allows them to refuse or terminate the leave on "reasonable grounds".
Employees would be allowed to take the leave for abuse suffered at the hands of a spouse, civil partner, an intimate relationship partner, or child.
“Sinn Féin’s legislation provides for a statutory entitlement to domestic violence paid leave of up to 10 days. Domestic violence and abuse takes place in the home, but this abuse often impacts on victims work lives," Ms McDonald said.
“Providing paid leave for victims is an acknowledgment of the massive challenges workers face when trying to escape an abusive relationship."
She said the bill will allow victims to take paid time off work in order to secure new accommodation or attend court. The party is hoping for cross-party support on the bill.
“Employers and legislators have a responsibility to respond to the challenges facing victims by putting in place the necessary workplace protections and employment rights. We will be urging all TDs to support this important legislation.”
Domestic violence cases have grown throughout the pandemic according to a number of reports. According to a Safe Ireland report from last month, around 3,450 women and 589 children contacted a domestic violence service for the first time seeking support and safety from abuse and coercive control during the first six months of Covid-19.
This equates to 575 “new” women and 98 “new” children every month, or 19 new women and three children every day.
While 464 files on domestic violence or the breach of a court order reached the DPP in 2019, the office has received 684 files already this year according to the Director of Public Prosecutions.