Citation
Barnardos. (2002). ChildLinks Issue 3: Domestic Violence. https://knowledge.barnardos.ie/handle/20.500.13085/856
Abstract
The theme of this issue of
ChildLinks is domestic violence.
Domestic violence has been
defined as “the use of physical or
emotional force or the threat of
physical force or sexual violence
in close adult relationships. It
can also involve emotional
abuse; the destruction of property;
isolation from friends, family
and other potential sources of
support; threats to others including
children; stalking; and control
over access to money, personal
items, food, transportation
and the telephone.” Barnardos’ experience as a key
agency involved in working with
children and families, is that
domestic violence is widespread
in Ireland and is a serious social
problem. Barnardos recognises
that domestic violence takes
many forms and can be perpetrated
by various family members,
however it is also our experience
that the most prevalent
form we encounter is perpetrated by males against their female
partners. While domestic violence is generally
defined as_ violence
between adults, children are all
too frequently impacted on by
domestic violence. There is a
close relationship between the
abuse of mothers and the abuse
of children. In addition, while in
recent years there has been
greater attention to the effects
of physical and sexual abuse of
children, there has been less
recognition of the impact on
them of witnessing domestic
violence. It is Barnardos’ view
that the failure to recognise and
address the effects of family violence
on children is a significant
gap in our child protection services.
There is a clear need to vindicate
the rights of children by
protecting them from all forms
of abuse and their effects. Barnardos would advocate the
need for a comprehensive study
of family violence in Ireland
which would include researching
the issue of the killing of children
within families. In December 2000, Barnardos
published a policy document
entitled Responding to Domestic
Violence and Its Impact on
Women and Children. It is timely
that two years later we are
devoting this issue of ChildLinks
to the same topic. Sharon O'Halloran, Director of
the National Network of
Women’s Refuges and Support
Services focuses on the effects
of domestic violence on children
and argues that lack of awareness
about domestic violence
and its consequences is prevalent
among childcare and education
providers and is one of the
reasons why professionals fail to
recognise children’s experience
of domestic violence. Mary Cleary, representing
AMEN, presents a challenging perspective on domestic violence
which argues for treating
domestic violence as a family
issue rather than a gender issue. Denise Charlton, Director of
Women’s Aid focuses on the
impact of domestic violence on
women and children and argues
that the best form of child protection
is woman protection.
She also presents useful guidelines
for good practice. OSS Cork is a national pilot project
which is a one stop shop for
people who are experiencing
domestic violence, and Dola
Twomey, the Project Co-ordinator
presents this model of work
as well as findings from their
data collection. She argues that
in the experience of OSS Cork, it
is likely that children outnumber
adults as victims of domestic
violence. Philip Mortell makes the case for
intervention programmes for
men who use violence, as well as
the need for a joint approach
with women’s service providers,
in addressing the prevention of
domestic violence. In her article, Children and
Violence: A Review of Research
in the Area of Prevention,
Margaret Rogers from
Barnardos argues that in spite of
legislative, policy making and
service developments, victims of
domestic violence “often remain
isolated, unidentified and unprotected”.
Finally, Seasons Greetings to all
our readers and we look forward
to bringing you both useful and
stimulating reading materials
through ChildLinks in 2003.