Minister negligent over violence against women

Justice Minister Michael McDowell

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has shown negligence by failing to take any "decisive action" during this year's 16 Days Against Violence Against Women, says Sinn Féin Dáil spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Human Rights, Aengus Ó Snodaigh. The Dublin TD tackled McDowell during Order of Business in the Dáil on Wednesday.

"The Minister has failed to take any decisive action during this year's 16 Days Against Violence Against Women save for his reprehensible decision to cut funding to this sector for 2004," said Ó Snodaigh. "The Minister needs to both confront the pervasiveness of the problem and outline to the House a properly funded, resolute multi-annual action plan to tackle this social scourge that devastates at least as many lives as drug and anti-social crime."

He went on to say that violence against women in the home is a "contributing casual factor to criminality in many cases, as it can warp the development of children who grow up with violence in the home".