Gardaí appeal to victims to contact them as domestic abuse figures rise
Maguire, Protective Right) Derek Superintendent Superintendent (left Detective Photo To Garda Services National Boal/collins Bureau Detective Superintendent Noonan Of Sinéad Detective Detective Superintendent Chief Colm Ian The Sam Greene, Picture: And Lackey
Gardaí have received 61,000 domestic abuse-related contacts so far this year — up 9% on the same period last year.
There were also more than 700 people who have contacted gardaí in relation to physical and sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders since the publication of the ‘scoping report’.
The figures were published on Friday by the Garda National Protective Services Bureau based in Dublin.
Senior gardaí made a direct appeal to victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, as well as gender-based abuse and human trafficking, to make contact with their services over the Christmas period — which is one of the most “difficult times of year”.
In a briefing led by Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan, gardaí highlighted the latest developments in the areas that fall under the bureau.
They include:
- 51 prosecutions for the new offence of non-fatal strangulation have commenced since the offence was introduced on November 1, 2023 — 35 of which were related to domestic abuse;
- 11 prosecutions for the new offence of stalking have commenced since this offence was introduced on November 1, 2023 — six of which were related to domestic abuse;
- 41 prosecutions for coercive control in 2023 and 2024 — all relating to domestic abuse;
- 4,670 breaches of domestic violence orders so far this year.
Detective Superintendent Sinead Greene highlighted the dangers of strangulation saying it is "an extremely dangerous form of abuse; it is an effective and cruel way of asserting dominance and control over a person through the terrifying ordeal of depriving them and starving them of oxygen.
“There may be an impression that extreme strength is required to inflict this form of abuse, however that is not the case.
“To put it into context and explain how serious strangulation is, strangulation causes loss of consciousness within seven seconds, loss of bodily functions within 30 seconds and death within 60 seconds.
She continued: “While many of us are planning on creating happy memories over the Christmas period with our families, for many this is not the reality.
“For some watching and listening to this conference here today, they may be gripped with anxiety, fear and stress of what will happen over the Christmas period.
“I would urge those people to speak with someone you know, speak with someone you trust, make contact with gardaí who will listen, who will give you support and guidance on obtaining court-related orders and put you in contact with the excellent support services that are right around our country."
Gardaí described how they are supporting the ‘Game Changer’ project, aimed at challenging beliefs around domestic, sexual and gender-based violence through awareness.
Gardaí also said they are continuing to work with external partners to raise awareness of the crime of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
'Operation Limelight' is one of the measures that focus on public awareness of FGM, and it took place at multiple airports, including Dublin and Cork in 2024.
Figures also show 200 million women worldwide have undergone FGM in 30 countries, while there are approximately 10,000 living in Ireland who were subjected to the procedure — which is considered as child abuse here.
Human trafficking and online child abuse are also a key focus for gardaí around the country.
Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan said: “In the just published gardaí public attitude survey of 2023, it is these crimes (human trafficking and online child exploitation) which are listed as the top priorities which the Irish public want gardaí to focus on and put their resources into.
"Throughout 2024 our frontline garda members across the gardaí have received briefings and training on how we need to respond to domestic sexual and gender-based violence and really how the quality of our investigations and the quality of our files are submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) must be at the very highest level.”