REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’S AID DUBLIN CASTLE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’S AID DUBLIN CASTLE, WEDNESDAY, 24TH MAY 2000
Is cúis mhór áthais dom bheith anseo inniu agus muid ag ceiliúradh fiche bliain is cuíg dul chun chinn. Go raibh míle maith agaibh as an chaoin-chuireadh.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to join you here today as we pay tribute to the phenomenal achievements of Women’s Aid over the past 25 years. The steady increase in the number of women who have been helped by Women’s Aid down through the years is, I suppose, a mixed blessing – on the one hand, it shows that the problem of domestic violence is more recognised, more out in the open than in the past, and that women are, thankfully, more willing to come forward to avail of the help that is now there. And yet, statistics such as the fact that almost 60,000 women have used Women’s Aid Freephone helpline since it was set up in 1994 must give us pause for thought - and cause for action.
Beneath the surface of this increasingly prosperous, apparently civilized society, thousands of lives are lived in violence, in misery and in fear. It is a form of violence that has many guises - and often the most damaging can have little or no physical manifestations at all. It is an evil that robs people of their self-respect and self-esteem, creating an intolerable burden of misery and isolation as the spiral of abuse - and the hopelessness and despair that comes with it - deepens.
Statistics like the findings of the Making the Links Research back in 1995 have not lost their power to shock – that research found that almost 1 in 5 Irish women had been subjected to violence and we have no reason to believe that matters have improved substantially since then. And behind every statistic – every phonecall, every visit to a refuge, every failed attempt to leave - is the story of a family that has been torn apart by abuse. The exhibition that I have seen here today tells so many of those stories – it illustrates how the poison of domestic violence extends beyond the aggressor and immediate victim and seeps into every aspect of family life, not least into the hearts and minds of children who look to their parents for example and who use their own domestic experience as a role-model for their future behaviour.
We as a society have a responsibility to tackle domestic violence, not just because it is the right of every individual to a life free from violence and fear – but also because it is in our own best interests to stop this cycle of destruction before it destroys the lives of future generations. That means caring enough to look beneath the surface, it means recognising that violence doesn’t just happen in other neighbourhoods, other communities – it happens in every area, in every walk of life, regardless of wealth or appearance.
For the past 25 years, Women’s Aid has been fortunate to have been supported by so many people who do care, who refused to accept that nothing could be done and even more importantly, didn’t wait for someone else to make a start. The tens of thousands of Irish women over the past 25 years for whom Women’s Aid refuges, helpline, counselling and support have, quite literally been a lifeline – have every reason to be grateful for that sense of caring, and determination and commitment of people like Nuala Fennel, whose letter to the Irish Times set the ball rolling all those years ago. But so do the rest of us, for the efforts of all those who have helped Women’s Aid over the years have made Irish society a more equal, humanly decent place to live.
Women’s Aid has continued to expand its sphere of activity, both in terms of providing direct services to women and in the provision of education and training to health professionals, the Gardai, schools and voluntary groups. Your work with Accident and Emergency Units around the country is especially important – hospital staff are ideally placed not only to identify women whose injuries are consistent with domestic violence, but also to gain their trust and encourage them to avail of support and protection.
I would like to pay tribute to your Chairperson, Mary Kelly, and all of the staff and volunteers of Women’s Aid, past and present, for all your work over the past 25 years. It has made an enormous difference to Irish women. And while attitudes towards domestic violence have changed enormously, and for the better, over that time, there is no doubt that the work of Women’s Aid remains as vital as ever. On behalf of all the women of Ireland, I would like to say a heartfelt ‘comhghairdeachas agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir’.