The Government places a very high priority on putting in place measures aimed at tackling crimes of domestic violence and other crimes of violence against women. The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, one of five Departments with responsibility in this area, is responsible for legislative initiatives; preventative measures that can be put in place, such as intervention programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence; awareness raising measures aimed at changing society's attitude to domestic violence; and identifying and developing necessary responses from the civil and criminal justice systems.
Moreover, the Department co-ordinates the work of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, which is chaired by Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy Fahey. The national steering committee is comprised of representatives of the Departments with responsibility for this issue, the non-governmental organisations working on this issue, the Garda Síochána, the Courts Service, the probation and welfare service, health boards and the medical and legal professions.
The number of incidents of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault reported to the Garda in 2003, the last full year for which figures are available, show a significant reduction when compared to the recorded incidents of these crimes in 2002. For example, in 2002 there were 10,248 reported incidents of domestic violence. In 92% of the cases, the complainant was female. In 2003, this fell to 8,452 or a reduction of 17.5% and in 93% of cases, the complainant was female. In the case of reported incidents of the heinous crime of rape, there was a reduction of 25.5% between 2002 and 2003. In the case of reported incidents of sexual assault, the number in 2002 was 1,626 and by 2003, this fell to 1,449. These reductions are a very welcome development but the Minister cautions against forming conclusive views on the basis of one year's figures.
Provisional Garda figures for the period January to September of this year show a similar picture for sexual assault. These figures indicate a decrease of 25% compared to reported incidents in the same period in 2003.
Rape, however, gives cause for concern. Provisional figures indicate that an additional 31 cases of rape were reported to the Garda between January and September 2004 compared to the same period in 2003.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, on behalf of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, has conducted a number of awareness raising campaigns around the various aspects of violence against women in recent years. Recent awareness campaigns have included a poster campaign on domestic violence which was conducted in 2003 and a campaign in 2002 aimed at highlighting the dangers of drug assisted rape. This involved the development of a series of posters which were displayed in pubs, clubs and third level colleges around the country. Follow-up campaigns were undertaken in third level colleges in 2003 and 2004. In addition, the Department has provided funding to a number of rape crisis centres to deliver an awareness programme in schools in their locality.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House
The Department, in conjunction with the committee, is developing a national television and radio advertising campaign on domestic violence which will be conducted jointly with Northern Ireland in the new year.
The Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform has recently provided joint funding for comprehensive research into attrition rates in rape cases. The research, entitled The Understanding of Attrition, Early Withdrawal, the Trial Process and Identifying Possible Changes to Support Complainants in Rape Cases, is being carried out by the department of law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Rape Crisis Network Ireland. This research should provide a greater understanding of why some victims choose not to report cases to the Garda, what can be done about under-reporting and why, of the cases that are reported, only a relatively small percentage result in a court hearing.
The Garda Síochána has never been better resourced or equipped — this year its budget exceeds €1 billion and next year it will further increase to over €1.1 billion. The Garda Síochána thoroughly investigates all complaints of rape and ensures that victims are dealt with in a professional manner. It also monitors all incidents of domestic violence on a daily basis. Designated inspectors are allocated to each Garda division to ensure that the Garda domestic violence policy is implemented. This policy is currently being reviewed.
In addition, all gardaí receive training on the investigation of cases of domestic violence, rape and sexual assault. This training is provided by experienced Garda personnel assisted by other professionals, such as psychologists, doctors, social workers and experts from the various non-governmental organisations.
There is close co-operation by the Garda Síochána with other organisations involved in this area, including non-governmental organisations. The Garda Síochána continues to make efforts to combat incidents of rape through education, increased awareness and enforcement of the relevant legislation. Recording systems for all domestic violence incidents are being integrated into the PULSE computer system and all of this will improve the overall monitoring of domestic violence cases.