Coronavirus: Government failing to protect domestic abuse victims from virus, says charity

Safe Ireland say they are ‘increasingly concerned’ about the needs of vulnerable women and children

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Government agencies are failing to protect victims of domestic abuse from contracting coronavirus during the ongoing pandemic, a charity in Ireland says.

Safe Ireland said that it is growing “increasingly concerned” that the government is not responding to the seriousness of the situation facing women and children living in refuges and temporary accommodation.

“We have an untenable situation at the moment, where women and children are living in communal refuges, with shared kitchens and bathrooms,” a spokeswoman for the organisation said.

“These are potential sites for an outbreak of Covid-19. The women and children in these refuges should be moved into safe, self-contained accommodation as part of the emergency national response."

Safe Ireland has submitted a proposal of emergency funding worth €1.6 million (£1.4m) to the government so services can respond more adequately to the needs of women and children.

If approved, the funding would help re-locate at-risk women and children within their local community and give them personal protection equipment, Safe Ireland said.

The spokesperson continued: “Overall the capacity of our emergency accommodation services is down about 20 per cent because we have to leave some units as isolation spaces.

“We need to be thinking creatively and at a national level about how we can accommodate all women and children safely when they look for support, particularly as the weeks of containment and isolation progress.”

Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and children, Safe Ireland said. Housing instability is four times more likely for women and children who have experienced domestic violence.

Meanwhile, on Monday Refuge – a UK-based domestic abuse charity – said that calls to its helpline had surged during the lockdown.

The number of calls rose by 25 per cent in the five days from 30 March, while visits to the organisation's website increased by 150 per cent in the last week of February.

“While in lockdown or self-isolation, women and children are likely to be spending concentrated periods of time with perpetrators, potentially escalating the threat of domestic abuse and further restricting their freedom,” said chief executive Sandra Horley.

She added: “Domestic abuse isn’t always physical – it’s a pattern of controlling, threatening and coercive behaviour, which can also be emotional, economic, psychological or sexual.

“Abuse is a choice a perpetrator makes, and isolation is already used by many perpetrators as a tool of control.”

Anyone who requires help or support can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline which is open 24/7 365 days per year on 0808 2000 247 or via their website https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/