FERMANAGH and Omagh District Council (FODC) has said that more resources are urgently needed to address domestic violence in the district.
At a council meeting in the Grange in Omagh on Tuesday, members raised concerns that current funding allocations, which are based on population, fail to take account of the unique challenges faced in rural areas.
Speaking from her experience as a Women’s Aid worker, Cllr Debbie Coyle said transport remains a major barrier for victims.
“I was a volunteer for Fermanagh Women’s Aid for 17 years and there are plenty of women who have to hide under bushes and run across fields. It is just a massive issue,” she said.
“Women’s Aid workers have to meet victims in all sorts of places in the middle of nowhere, so transport and taxi fares are really important. It’s something that is not funded, and I propose we add this to the letter.”
Council Chief Executive Alison McCullagh highlighted that while funding had previously been provided for rural services, it had not been renewed.
“When Michelle Gildernew was Agricultural Minister, funding was put in place to raise awareness of domestic violence in rural settings. I don’t think that funding has been continued, but it is certainly something we can check,” she said.
Ms McCullagh confirmed the council had received Executive funding for tackling violence against women and girls, which is being delivered locally through Omagh Women’s Aid and Fermanagh Women’s Aid.
However, she stressed that because this funding is distributed on a population basis, the rural dimension is overlooked.
“Looking at Maguiresbridge and other cases of domestic murders and violence in this district, this should be reflected,” she said. “We want to emphasise again that funding should not be based on population alone.”