TODAY MARKS INTERNATIONAL Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is a fitting time for the government to face some uncomfortable truths about one of society’s most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations.

Frustratingly, there only seems to be a political focus on this issue when high profile cases of violence against women – ranging from sexual assaults and coercive control to
psychological abuse and murder – are highlighted in the media.

The bravery of survivors such as Natasha O’Brien and Bláthnaid Raleigh, who went public with their own harrowing experiences, have helped shine a light on what is unquestionably an epidemic of violence against women in this country.

We owe these women, and many others like them, a debt of gratitude for their fearless campaigning and advocacy.

For all this government’s talk about taking a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to violence against women, the grim statistics lay bare the sheer scale of the problem.

In Ireland, 35% of women – more than one in three – have experienced psychological, physical and/or sexual abuse from an intimate partner. Last year, gardaí responded to over 65,000 domestic abuse incidents – an average of 1,250 every week.

In 2024, Women’s Aid national and regional frontline services were contacted 32,144 times, an increase of 12% on 2023.

Its teams heard a total of 46,765 disclosures or incidents of domestic violence and abuse – 41,432 against women and 5,333 against children. This was a 17% increase on the previous year.

There were increased reports of all forms of abuse against women: physical (up 22%),........

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