11/10/2005
Government launches five-year domestic violence initiative
The Government has launched a five-year plan aimed at tackling domestic violence in homes across Northern Ireland.
Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson said the ‘Tackling Violence at Home' initiative aimed to address the serious problem of domestic violence, through improving protection and support services for victims and holding more perpetrators accountable for their crimes and abusive behaviour.
“The Government has shown its commitment to tackling this issue when we recently strengthened the law, through the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, which gives the police greater powers of arrest when called to a domestic incident," Mr Hanson said.
Referring to the numbers of deaths, injuries and suffering caused by domestic violence the Minister said: “Shocking as the statistics are, they do not portray the impact on society; they do not portray the long-term adverse effects on the thousands of children who are the silent witnesses of this crime; and they certainly do not portray the devastating impact the violence has on the victims themselves and their families - tragically for some victims the end to their abuse comes at the ultimate price - the loss of life.”
At present domestic violence results in around five deaths, over 5,000 assaults and 700 families being re-housed in Northern Ireland every year.
The vast majority of those are women however a significant number of men are affected too and abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships.
(MB/SP)
Criminal Justice Minister David Hanson said the ‘Tackling Violence at Home' initiative aimed to address the serious problem of domestic violence, through improving protection and support services for victims and holding more perpetrators accountable for their crimes and abusive behaviour.
“The Government has shown its commitment to tackling this issue when we recently strengthened the law, through the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, which gives the police greater powers of arrest when called to a domestic incident," Mr Hanson said.
Referring to the numbers of deaths, injuries and suffering caused by domestic violence the Minister said: “Shocking as the statistics are, they do not portray the impact on society; they do not portray the long-term adverse effects on the thousands of children who are the silent witnesses of this crime; and they certainly do not portray the devastating impact the violence has on the victims themselves and their families - tragically for some victims the end to their abuse comes at the ultimate price - the loss of life.”
At present domestic violence results in around five deaths, over 5,000 assaults and 700 families being re-housed in Northern Ireland every year.
The vast majority of those are women however a significant number of men are affected too and abuse also occurs in same-sex relationships.
(MB/SP)
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NI Domestic Call-Outs 'Endemic'
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NI Domestic Call-Outs 'Endemic'
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Domestic Violence Targeted
There has been a call for more to be done to tackle the issue of domestic violence. Members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board met this week with senior police officers and officials from the Department of Health & Social Services to discuss ongoing programmes of work to deal with both domestic violence and abuse.
Domestic Violence Targeted
There has been a call for more to be done to tackle the issue of domestic violence. Members of the Northern Ireland Policing Board met this week with senior police officers and officials from the Department of Health & Social Services to discuss ongoing programmes of work to deal with both domestic violence and abuse.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.