I am concerned with the rise in the number of incidents of domestic violence. It is apparent that domestic violence incidents have, in the past, been under reported. Possibly the increase in reported domestic violence incidents may be attributed to the increased awareness by victims of the support services available to them in times of crisis. This awareness has been created, in part, by the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women which is chaired by my colleague, Deputy Mary Wallace, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
The committee has funded two major public awareness campaigns, as part of a national strategy to highlight available services and as part of a policy to let the victim know that help is available. The campaign also aimed to make society aware that they should support the victim and not condone such violence and to get the message across to perpetrators that this is a crime and that it must stop.