NWCI welcomes new domestic violence bill

Published: Wednesday, September 02, 2015

The Heads of the new Bill on Domestic Violence were published by Minister Frances Fitzgerald in July, and NWCI welcomed the new measures to be introduced to protect women from domestic violence.

1 in 5 women in Ireland experience domestic violence and the new measures contained within the bill will provide more protection for women in Domestic Violence situations, particularly the enhanced protection of and support for victims when they are going to court, the removal of the barrier of property ownership when applying for interim barring orders and the recognition of the new reality of online abuse.The Bill provides that a victim would be able to apply for an order to prevent the perpetrator from following or communicating with the victim, including by electronic means, other than for communications specifically specified by the court.

However there are gaps in the Bill that NWCI and our members have called for in order to provide further protection for victims, particularly in relation to younger women, emergency barring orders and the establishment of stalking as a criminal offence. It is our intention to work with all the political parties to ensure that the final legislation is enhanced and provides victims with the strongest possible protections.

We are years away from understanding and addressing effectively the serious impact domestic violence has on the lives of women and in many instances, their children. This Bill is moving in the right direction by providing more protection to victims.

For more information, see here.