Offaly Rotary Club co-ordinating local response to Government's combatting violence strategy

Tullamore & District Rotary Club is coordinating a comprehensive local response to the Government’s Draft National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, released on February 17 by Justice Minister Helen McEntee.

The response is in the form of a ‘sister survey’ to that of the Department of Justice and is being sent to civil and societal organisations, industry, sporting, churches, law enforcement, educational, NGOs and aid agencies.

We all recognise and acknowledge that there is a need for major change to ensure an end to incidences of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, for a strategy that will be delivered quickly and effectively, and on which the Government will be held to account.

With regard to domestic violence, in the last year there was a 100% increase in client contacts to Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services (ODVSS), their helpline recorded 2,473 calls while their new text support service received 1,326 messages all of which highlight the need for better services in the county. Under the current strategy the aim is to provide a refuge or safe house "within 30kms" - in theory this could mean that a woman in crisis in Tullamore would go to Portlaoise or Athlone. But all other services such as the courts, housing and social welfare are done on a county-by-county basis which emphasises the need for safe housing in the urban areas of the county as planned by ODVSS.

Tullamore & District Rotary Club is calling on local organisations, businesses and support services to participate in the response which, once collated, will be presented to the Minister for Justice to allow our community to lend a strong voice to the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence and to bring about positive, real and lasting change.

To contribute to this community survey and add to your organisation's voice to the National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence please email tullamorerotary@gmail.com to receive a link to the survey and a copy of draft strategy.