THE DIRECTOR of Adapt, an organisation that supports victims of domestic abuse, said she is “not surprised” at shocking figures that show Limerick had the highest rate of reported abuse in the country last year.
Figures just released by the Department of Justice, based on Garda PULSE information for 2023, show Limerick had the highest rate of reported incidents last year with 123.3 cases of domestic violence reported per 10,000 population.
Denise Dunne, director of services with Adapt, the country’s largest women’s refuge, says those statistics bear out what her team are experiencing on the ground every day.
“The last two years have been enormously busy. Last year we had 167 women admitted to the refuge and we supported 638 in our outreach services. Those numbers alone reflect what the situation is in Limerick,’ she told the Limerick Post.
Ms Dunne outlined how Adapt has a presence in the city courts for people who want information or who are suffering abuse.
“Last year we had 540 court accompaniments, where a support worker went to court with a woman, and we had 174 women avail of the city drop-in court service in Merchant’s Quay courts alone,” the Adapt director shared.
But Ms Dunne says that while the local figures are shocking, in terms of Limerick having the highest rate of reported abuse in the country, it’s not entirely bad news.
“I can’t say why Limerick is top of that list, but it may be a good thing that more women feel able to report abuse and get help,” she theorised.
“We have been working very closely with the Gardaí and the court services and Gardaí have been working enormously hard to support victims and have been very active in this area.”
Ms Dunne said that the court services and staff have also played a huge part in helping people in distressful and dangerous situations.
Awareness of the options of securing a court-decreed safety or barring order, which will be enforced by the Gardaí and the judiciary, is also increasing, Ms Dunne said.
“Along with that and with the supports of the court services, we have been working to raise awareness of the problem. I would hope that the figures are high because more women feel supported and are able to ask for help.”
Nationally, the figures show that Gardaí were called to an average of 130 incidents of domestic violence each day during the first quarter of 2024, the Department figures reveal that Gardaí responded to calls to attend the scene of a domestic violence incident on 11,675 occasions during the first three months of this year.
They also show that almost 5,100 breaches of orders made under the Domestic Violence Act were reported to Gardaí last year, which resulted in 4,765 sets of charges or summons being issued.
In the first half of 2024, another 2,543 various breaches including of barring orders, protection orders, and safety orders were recorded.
The numbers are looking like 2024 is set to be a record year for the reporting of domestic violence if the same level of incidents continues for the rest of the year.
Anyone who is being affected by domestic abuse, or knows someone who is, can contact Adapt on 061 412 354 or via email on [email protected]. Out of office hours help is available on the national emergency helpline 1800 200 504 or from Gardaí on 999.
