News
Six-month course helps violent men to change
A six-month programme aimed at getting men to address their violent behaviour against women is to begin in Galway.
MOVE (Men Overcoming Violent Emotion) started in Dublin in 1989 as a response to the growing incidence of domestic abuse and branches spread around the country.
It is a problem that has only worsened in the intervening years.
Nearly half of all the women killed in Ireland since 1995 were killed by a partner or ex-partner.
A 2004 review of domestic violence intervention programmes found that while “there will probably always be some men who will not change, some can and will, and that carefully managed group work programmes can help”.
“This is more likely to happen when the intervention is well designed, delivered and monitored. Researchers concluded that carefully managed group work programmes, particularly when delivered in conjunction with a criminal or civil justice response, are worth running,” the report found.
After an absence of over a decade, MOVE has returned to Galway. The 26-week group course is funded by the Government and is free of charge to participants. It is open to any man with a history of physical, emotional or sexual violence against a partner who is willing to change.
The programme also involves 40 weeks of work with the woman in the relationship or ex-partner, providing information, support and safety planning.
The biggest aim of the initiative is the protection of women and children, explains Darren Mulligan, a social care worker who is one of the facilitators on the course.
“We do an awful lot of work with the partner – more than with the perpetrator, it goes on for much longer. But this is the only thing out there aimed at the men, something needs to be done with men to address domestic violence or it won’t stop,” he insists.
On joining the group, the men must sign a contract stating they will not engage in violence for the duration of the six months and commit to change.
Participants can refer themselves if they realise they have a problem with domestic violence while others are referred through the Probations Services or by social workers.
With a minimum of eight in the group, it is facilitated by a male and female care worker once a week for two hours.
“The biggest thing we are trying to do is identify triggers – what gets them to that stage. When they can identify the triggers, they can work out a different behaviour, maybe have time out and go for a walk instead of lashing out,” states Darren.
“The group gets support from each other by talking, being honest and come to an understanding of what’s really going on.”
The programme examines carefully what happens before and after violent incidents and the emotions and behaviours that lead up to violence. The participants are helped to understand these and given techniques to help them slow down, think about what they are doing and make different choices. Among the skills taught are self tracking patterns of behaviours that are harmful to themselves or to others and improving communication.
Previous groups have followed a familiar pattern. Generally it takes six weeks before men take responsibility for their behaviour.
“In the beginning they may be blaming the gardaí, social workers, probation officers for their violence. It may be alcohol, a history of violence in the family. It then dawns on somebody, hey lads, we are here because of us, and they take ownership, it clicks.
“Not everyone who drinks is violent, not everyone who was abused is violent. It’s really about taking ownership of the here and now,” reflects Darren.
The 2004 review found that while not all men quit their abusive behaviour, some do change.
“Some of these changes do seem to be attributable at least in part to the men’s participation on the programme, although it is difficult to isolate what is due to the programme and what is due to other factors, principally the influence of separation or the threat of it and the effects of other interventions or the threats of them,” the researchers found.
“Some men do not change whilst they are on programmes. Even if they do not change, programmes could be a way of assessing and monitoring their behaviour and holding them to account.”
The women who have been victimised stated they felt safer following their participation.
“Women who come into contact with the programmes when their partners apply to participate often get help, advice, support and information for the first time. Some of these women are unlikely to have received this help from anywhere else.
“Some women are able to use this information and help to make informed choices about their own protection. When they do, they often find increased safety as a result. Some women get such high levels of support and advocacy that they feel that their lives have changed completely, even if they did not feel that their partner or ex-partner changed.”
Darren believes if the programme persuades even a handful of men to leave their violent behaviour behind it will have been worth the six months of work.
“I don’t think we can say they’re cured. It’s the only group of its kind in Ireland that targets perpetrators so if you have a few men out of every group who learn how to have relationships that are based on love and trust and not on power and control, that’s a success.”
There are still slots available for men on the course due to start in May. For more information contact 085 8087465.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
