Refuge forced to turn away 370 victims of violence

Date Published: 11-Aug-2011

BY MARK O’REGAN

A Galway refuge centre which caters for victims of domestic violence was forced to turn away an average of 25 women and 36 children each month up to the end of June this year due to a lack of space.

In total, 153 women and 220 children who arrived at Cope Galway in the first six months of this year had to be referred to similar centres in Ennis, Castlebar and Athlone.

The main problem is that currently the Galway centre can only cater for five women and 15 children at any one time. There is now a renewed call on the HSE to provide funding for a new refuge building which will relieve space and other pressures.

“We are funded mainly through the HSE and we have been requesting a new refuge building for many years now,” explains Christiane Blodau, coordinator at Cope Waterside House Refuge.

“And given the growing difficulties people have with finding alternative accommodation after their stay with us, women are staying here longer so that holds up the places and obviously increases the number we cannot accommodate,” she added.

However, the situation has improved somewhat when compared with the same period last year when 262 women with 486 children were turned away.

“On the other hand, we admitted 55 women with 85 children for the first six months of this year. Sometimes the women are brought in by the Gardaí or social workers and because we are open 24/7 they can arrive at any time of the day or night.”

While funding remains a constant bone of contention between the centre and the HSE, Ms Blodau’s has welcomed recent amendments to the Domestic Violence Act which gives mothers more freedom to escape the clutches of a violent relationship.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.