Over 31,000 contacts were made with Women’s Aid in 2022 - the highest number ever received by the organisation in a 12-month period.

Women’s Aid supports victims and survivors of domestic abuse. According to its Annual Report 2022, which has just been published, 31,229 contacts were made last year, a 16% increase when compared to 2021 and the highest figure ever received in the organisation’s 50-year history.

These contacts were made through a national helpline and regional face-to-face services.

Altogether, 33,990 disclosures of domestic abuse against women and children were made and these included details of physical violence, emotional abuse, coercive control, sexual abuse and economic control.

The report also highlighted that 12 women died violently in 2022.

The organisation described it as encouraging that more women are reaching out for support. However, it warned that “every system they are accessing is creaking at the seams”, including specialist accommodation, frontline services and family law systems.

The cost-of-living and housing crises are also having an impact, the report noted.

According to Women’s Aid CEO, Sarah Benson, these figures are “a harrowing reminder of the levels of violence and abuse in homes and relationships in Ireland”. She also insisted that these figures “are only the tip of an enormous iceberg”.

“Last year, women told us that their partners or ex-partners were subjecting them to a broad and brutal pattern of abuse. Women reported assaults with weapons; constant surveillance and monitoring; relentless put downs and humiliations; the taking and sharing of intimate images online; complete control over all family finances; sexual assault; rape and being threatened with theirs or their children’s lives.

“The impacts on these women were chilling and ranged from exhaustion, isolation and hopelessness to being brutalised and wounded, suffering miscarriages, poverty, feeling a loss of identity, suicidal ideation, hypervigilance and homelessness,” she explained.

She pointed out that as well as the actual abuse, victims and survivors also face other challenges.

“The court systems, and in particular the District Courts, are under pressure, creating lengthy, protracted and traumatising delays for women involved in legal proceedings. We are aware that post-separation abuse is a significant issue that is often played out in family law courts. Last year alone, 26% of women in contact with us were being abused by a former partner,” Ms Benson said.

She acknowledged that some progress has been made, including increased resources for vital specialist domestic violence services, however, she added that “these are coming from a baseline of historic neglect”.

Furthermore, given the strain on services, she queried whether all women coming forward for help would actually get the support and protection they need.

For more information on Women’s Aid, click here.