Domestic Abuse

1. INTRODUCTION
Somewhere in Ireland at this very moment, a woman is being abused.   She will be left with bruises, cuts and scars.   The scars are not physical, but ones of mental torture that will last a lifetime.   Her abuser is not a stranger, but rather her husband or boyfriend.
At the heart of a situation of domestic abuse is one person, most often a woman, who is paying a heavy personal, social, economic and emotional cost.   She may have children – or not.   She may be married – or not.   She may be young or old, rich or poor, a member of any class of society.   For any woman who is in an abusive relationship, seeking to leave it, or trying to find the strength to rebuild her life after doing so, there is a necessity not only for practical support to enable her to access appropriate services, but also for emotional support to build up shattered confidence and self-esteem.

Domestic abuse is becoming an epidemic in our society which has dramatic, negative effects on its victims and their families.   Domestic abuse is a crime that knows no economic, racial, religious, age or class limits.

My reason for choosing this topic is as a result of watching a recent report (27/10/11) on Prime Time which focused on the difficulties that the victims of domestic abuse encounter when seeking refuge from violent relationships.   On further investigation in to this area, it became very evident to me that domestic abuse is a massive problem in Ireland today and there are no signs of it going away.

I will commence by providing an overview of what domestic abuse is, including a brief history.   I will continue by examining what the main causes of domestic abuse are and what the prevalence of it is in our society. I will also look at the implications that it has on the health of its victims and the effects it has on children.   To tie in with the report I saw on Prime Time, I will focus on the care and support systems that are currently available in Ireland for sufferers of... [continues]

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