Government urged to back funding proposal for domestic violence victims
Labour has called for the Government to commit to back a ‘Safe Fund’ which would provide financial support and be administered by Women’s Aid.
The Government will consider the Labour party’s proposal to introduce a fund to provide support to victims and survivors of domestic violence, Jack Chambers has said.
Labour has called for the Government to commit to back a “Safe Fund” which would provide financial support and be administered by Women’s Aid.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the fund would help victims of domestic violence escape the family home, and could go towards costs, like money for a taxi, deposit for a property or a new mobile phone.
She also told the Dáil that in six months, some 2,000 women were turned away from domestic violence because of a lack of state-funded beds.
“Why is it that victims, usually women and children, still have to leave their own homes to seek safety,” Ms Bacik said during Leaders’ Questions on Wednesday.
“Why does the abuser get to stay in the family home? Because that’s still the reality, all too often.
“The stakes are high. Women’s Aid records that nine women have been killed in Ireland this year already, more than the total number of femicide victims last year.
“A quick escape can make the difference between a life saved and a life lost.
“But sadly, the difference between escape and remaining trapped can be heartbreakingly mundane: money for a taxi, a deposit for a flat, a new phone.
“That’s why the Labour Party has proposed the Safe Fund, a three-year, three million euro non-means-tested fund for immediate financial support to survivors of domestic violence when they need it, to be administered by Women’s Aid, whom I’ve met recently to discuss this.
“You control the purse strings. So, a simple question: Will you commit today to save lives to fund the Safe Fund in budget 2027?”
Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers said that Government will consider the Labour party’s proposal, adding that further progress is needed particularly in the provision of safe accommodation.
Mr Chambers said: “What I would say is we need to continue to make further progress in this area around the funding of the different initiatives that are involved, both in terms of the accommodation.
“That’s absolutely essential in communities, where in some instances there is a gap that you referenced, continue to work to support Cuan, who obviously provide that leadership, oversight, and accountability for delivery as well.
“We will consider that in the estimates process overall.
“What I would say is, it will be a priority area for government to continue to support that coordinated response across many of the strategies which have been published, and that we make further progress in this area, and that victims that are out there are supported at that point of crisis.
“But also right the way through the justice system, that the different parts of the State are there to support them, and that they have the respective funding streams there to continue to make progress in 2027, and obviously we’ll consider your specific suggestion.”
It comes as Ms Bacik praised Nikita Hand, who won a civil case against former MMA fighter Conor McGregor, as she released a memoir detailing the events of her civil case.
A jury of Dublin’s High Court in November 2024 found that McGregor raped Ms Hand in a hotel room in December 2018.
Ms Bacik said that Ireland owes a “debt of gratitude” to Ms Hand for the “bravery” she has shown.
“Thank you, Nikita. So many other people have felt emboldened to speak up about abuse they have experienced, because Nikita’s courage gave them courage,” Ms Bacik added.
“Speaking about her new book in recent days, Nikita Hand has talked with extraordinary dignity about suffering the trauma of rape and sexual violence.
“She has also spoken about the long-term impacts upon her: PTSD, hours-long panic attacks, experiencing her own body, in her words, being turned into a crime scene, as she said powerfully, “You lose a huge part of yourself when something so traumatic happens to you after being raped or sexually assaulted”.
“The multi-millionaire sports person who was found liable in a civil court is responsible for causing this loss to Nikita Hand, and his violation has continued long after the assault was over.”