Kilkenny councillors call for stronger protections for domestic violence victims
As featured in this week’s edition of the Kilkenny People newspaper
A council motion to review its existing policies to protect victims of domestic abuse has been unanimously supported by members of Kilkenny County Council.
In a motion penned by councillors Sean Ó hArgain and Pat Fitzpatrick, the pair called on the local authority to take decisive action to provide ‘maximum protection’ to victims of domestic violence.
Cllr Ó hArgain proposed that: “Kilkenny County Council review existing policies and services, particularly including our housing and community engagement policies, to ensure that they provide the maximum protection and supports for women and their families in danger of or suffering from domestic violence.
“That our policies align with the National Domestic Sexual and Gender-Based violence (DSGBV) strategy and that we recognise that children are victims of violence in their own right and undertake to treat and protect children accordingly,” he added.
Since 1996, 277 Irish women have died violently as a result of domestic abuse, 87% of whom were killed by a person known to them.
“The figures are quite astounding,” Cllr Ó hArgain continued, adding, “the organisations I have spoken to, especially Amber Women’s Refuge, are hugely thankful for the co-operation they get from our council in relation to housing and the provision made for safe houses where women can be moved to when they move out of the refuge.
“They’re very appreciative of that, but we have a lot more to do. It’s been five years since the death of Aisling Murphy, and almost 1000 people took part in a race in her memory in Tullamore,” he continued.
“Where women are coming in very vulnerable situations, they need to be given privacy and space, and I’m confident we’re making every effort to do that, but we need to improve that even further,” the Labour councillor argued.
“We need to tackle our responsibilities as men in relation to this issue, and I propose we take a zero tolerance policy in relation to sexist and misogynistic language,” he said, commenting, “we have to lead the whole of the population of the county.