Nearly 90,000 people contacted support services dealing with domestic violence in Ireland last year.
A new report launched today by TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency found support services answered 88,754 helpline calls and supported 24,934 adults who experienced domestic violence in 2015.
A TUSLA statement said one in four Irish adults have experienced some form of physical or sexual assault in the past with one in two Irish women experiencing sexual harassment.
The report also found that over 3,000 adults and nearly 200 children who experienced sexual violence were supported in rape crisis centres with almost a quarter of families who were made homeless in March this year citing domestic violence as the cause.
The ‘Working Report on 2015 Services, Activities and Use: Towards Evidence Informed Services’ examined data and information from all 58 Tusla-funded domestic, sexual and gender based violence organisations in Ireland.
The report is the first of its kind with the results set to inform the provision of services in response to domestic violence in the future.
The agency’s national manager for Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Services, Joan Mullan said the report is a “positive first step” towards an evidence-based approach to delivering domestic violence support.
“The 58 Tusla-funded organisations support those affected by domestic, sexual and gender based violence around the country through a range of channels including helplines, and direct face to face supports. The work they do is invaluable to victims of violence,” she said.
“The numbers in the report are not just data, they are the summary of the real life stories of the adults, children and families that frontline services work with,” she said.
If you are experiencing domestic, sexual or gender based violence there is help available:
- National services - 999/112
- Rape Crisis Centre national helpline - 1800 778888
- Women’s Aid helpline - 1800 341 900
- AMEN helpline for men who experience domestic abuse - 046 9023718
