Hundreds of women and children being turned away from Co Kildare's only refuge for domestic violence

114  Co Kildare women and 172 children  have been turned away this year from the county's own domestic violence refuge centre.

Manager of Teach Tearmainn, Jacinta Carey, says research indicates that women are beaten at least 35 times before reaching out for help and make six to eight attempts to leave before getting the required supports.

Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare South Fiona O’Loughlin says the Government needs to step up its efforts to tackle domestic violence.

 The South Kildare Deputy made the comments after raising the issue with Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald, TD. 

Deputy O'Loughlin said: “Domestic violence is a huge issue affecting families right across the country. There were 

some 22,341 reports of domestic abuse against women and children made to Women’s Aid in 2015 with Tusla services receiving more than 80,000. It is feared that many other cases simply go unreported."

She further noted that over 23% of families made homeless in March 2016 cited domestic violence as a main cause of homelessness. 

Ms Carey offers  assurances that women who get accommodation at the Kildare town centre will not be discharged until they are ready to leave. Women who ring the centre and can not source accommodation at Teach Tearmainn will be placed in other refuges. For women in South Kildare, the nearest refuge is in Co Kilkenny while those in North Kildare could be sent to Dublin.

Currently there are women at Teach Tearmainn ranging in ages from 18 up to 73-years-old. Ms Carey stressed that financial background does not influence who is more likely to become  a domestic violence victim, as it hits all strata of society.

Ms Carey said: "When we talk about domestic violence, it includes financial, sexual, physical and psychological. There is always the threat of violence, women are walking on egg shells.  The process of grooming women for abuse is a long process, a man will not hit a woman until he has reached a point that she will accept responsibility."

She warned that the red flags for men likely to hit a female include having a number of common traits such as a very rigid belief system about gender roles and the capacity to always look for someone to blame and not accept responsibility.

Teach Tearmainn Kildare town can be contacted on  045 535178.