MORE than one woman a day is seeking help from Fermanagh Women’s Aid (FWA), with the scale of domestic violence in this small rural county described as “staggering.”
Every year FWA receives around 400 referrals, with the vast majority – approximately 70 percent – being self referrals and only around 25 percent coming from the police, meaning the extent of the problem locally is much greater than official PSNI figures suggest.
FWA’s hard working support workers also make approximately 30 visits to clients per day, with the 24/7 service continuing to support local women and children for as long as they remain at risk.
In addition, demand for the service’s refuge for women and children is currently exceeding demand by around three-to-one.
“It’s staggering,” said Kerrie Flood, CEO of FWA. “What is really scary is our refuge numbers, as refuge is the service Women’s Aid are best known for.
“Last year 35 women and 26 children were referred to our refuge, but only 11 women and seven children could be accommodated.”
She added, “That’s why we focus so heavily on our community-based support, refuge isn’t the only avenue of escape.
“I would be saying to women, self-refer into our centre. There is a waiting list at the minute, as there are with many services, but we’re slightly different in that we will assess risk and need quite quickly.
“You will have someone to link in with from day one, but you may need to wait a few weeks for a dedicated one-to-one support worker.
“Part of role is not to push any woman into doing something, not to drag her along. It’s to ensure she knows all the choices and options that she has available.
“Everyone’s situation is different, and nobody knows their abuser better that her, she is managing that risk all the time.”
With regard the help provided to women seeking to escape an abusive situation, Ms Flood added, “What we know is that is the most dangerous time.
“That has to be carefully managed, carefully planned, and women need support to do that. It’s very difficult to do that on your own.”
While FWA are experts at helping women escape such situations, and in providing ongoing, holistic support for clients, Ms Flood stressed that in an emergency situation women should always call 999 in the first instance.
“Do not wait. Don’t be hiding in a cupboard contacting Women’s Aid. Phone the police,” she said.
Last week the ‘Herald reported on how Fermanagh is one of the most dangerous places to be a female in Europe, with a disproportionate number of women and girls killed violently in the North over the past eight years dying here in the county.
Ms Flood, pictured left, said the research backs up these figures.
“There is an issue right across the UK, but there is an issue on the island of Ireland, with a very specific problem in Northern Ireland,” she said.
“In relation to femicide across the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland is accounting for about 40 percent of total femicides. In relation to our population, as your article covered, it’s the joint highest rate of femicide in Europe.
“It’s staggering, because we’re not a big place by any stretch of the imagination.”
She added, “I’ve been at Fermanagh Women’s Aid since 2011 and I’ve never seen anything like this, to this level.
“We’ve been warning about it for a very long time. What happens is our safety nets are breaking.”
Ms Flood said there is a number of reasons why the problem is particularly pervasive in rural areas, not least the fact it is much easier for abusers to isolate their victims. It’s also much harder to access support, which is the reason FWA provides outreach right around the county.
It is also a societal issue, with a culture here “where there’s lots we don’t talk about.”
“We have a tradition here of not listening to women, and not talking about particular issues. It creates a baseline in which violence can thrive,” she said.
To contact FWA call 028 6632 8898 or email womensaidfermanagh@btopenworld.com. You can also call the 24 hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline on 0808 802 1414 or via help@dsahelpline.org
For more on this story, including how you can support the work of FWA, see next week’s Fermanagh Herald.
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