Vol. 569 No. 3
375 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the reason he did not consult the support groups for men before setting up the National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that reports show that 50% of domestic violence is perpetrated by women on men; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17520/03]
The National Domestic Violence Intervention Agency was established by the non-governmental organisations overseeing the implementation of a domestic violence intervention pilot project. The Deputy may be aware that my Department has provided funding for a domestic violence intervention project in the Dún Laoghaire-Bray area. The project will operate on a pilot basis and will be evaluated after one year of operation. The project is non-gender specific – it will apply equally to male and female victims of domestic violence and abuse.
I understand the advisory committee comprises representatives of the agency, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Garda, the Courts Service, the Probation and Welfare Service, the Legal Aid Board, Women's Aid and the Cork domestic violence project. I am informed that the interests of male victims of domestic violence will be represented on the advisory committee by the Cork domestic violence project who have provided services to male victims of domestic violence. I am also informed that, in the event that there is a need for contact to be made with another service offering a service to a male or female victim, contact will be made with that service in relation to that victim.
The domestic violence intervention project is an integrated programme co-ordinating the work of the civil and criminal judicial systems and other key agencies such as the Garda, women's support groups, perpetrators programmes and the Probation and Welfare Service. The central aim of the project is to increase the safety of victims of domestic violence and reduce the recidivism rate of domestic violence. The intervention project arose from research undertaken into the development of an intervention model and is based on projects operating successfully in other jurisdictions such as those in Duluth, Minnesota and Hammersmith, UK.
In relation to the assertion that 50% of domestic violence is perpetrated by women on men, I should mention that this is not borne out by reports of incidents to the Garda. Garda statistics show that the vast majority of victims, 89% are female. The assertion in relation to the 50% of victims being male arises from recent research. However, the research itself acknowledges that it does not deal with the context, reasons or initiation of the violence or the severity of the violence or extent of the injuries resulting from the violence.
The Deputy may wish to note that reliable research approaches the question of violence in intimate relationships by establishing a comprehensive picture and examining the broader context. This should include: the history of the violence, as opposed to one incident receiving the same count as multiple incidents; the impact of the violence on the victim, including the level of fear brought about by the incident(s) and-or any resultant injury, including assault during pregnancy; the context in which violence was used, such as in self defence; whether the violence involved rape or sexual assault; the level of power and control which one partner wants to have over the other; data in relation to partner murder, and; data in relation to violence after separation from a partner.
