Women's Aid has called for the establishment of clear policies for health practitioners to deal with the victims of domestic violence. The group said that few health agencies have written protocols on domestic violence, although women experiencing violence tend to be over-represented in GP's surgeries, accident and emergency departments and mental health services.
The group believes that hospitals, nurses and family doctors are ideally placed to identify women who are experiencing abuse by a partner and to intervene to support them. Many women repeatedly come to accident and emergency departments or family doctors with minor injuries.
Staff shortages mean that priority to major accidents in busy units. Researcher Monica O'Connor said that records should be kept of accidental injuries that are consistent with assault if women request it, for subsequent court cases.
More than half of the women murdered since 1996 were killed in their own homes. There has been a history of domestic violence by the murderer in a substantial number of murder cases.
The Gardaí attended over 10,000 incidences related to domestic violence in 1999. Research by Women's Aid showed has shown that the single biggest reason why women did not leave violent partners was having nowhere to go.
Women's Aid wants hospitals to establish working parties to enable staff to be trained and informed about the issues around domestic violence.
