RCNI Press Release 18 April 2007

The Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), while welcoming the new COSC agency, launched by Minister Frank Fahey today, fear its limited remit will hamper its ability to have a significant impact on Violence Against Women.

Fiona Neary, RCNI Director said, ‘the RCNI demand urgent clarification from Minister McDowell as to whether this new agency, COSC, the Irish Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, is to address all forms of Violence Against Women (VAW) or not. We are baffled at the naming of this agency and deeply troubled at the failure to explicitly nominate all forms of Violence Against Women as being the business of COSC.

It would be a very serious missed opportunity for the Violence Against Women sector if this agency were to be limited in this way.

The National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women (NSC VAW) working towards the founding of this agency, has long recognised that it is not useful to deal with one form of Violence Against Women to the exclusion of others as they are all linked. The RCNI as one of the lead members of the NSC VAW over the past for 10 years have pushed for the resources and leadership necessary in seriously tackling VAW. For COSC to have its work skewed towards domestic violence is short-sighted, retrograde and inefficient.

In addition this development is baffling to us as Minister MCDowell himself previously wrote to the NSC asking them to take charge of the implementation of the SAVI report on sexual violence. It is difficult to see how this agency under its current remit can undertake that task.

While an agency on domestic violence may encompass large parts of the concerns sexual violence including pornography, many aspects do not come under its auspices, worse it may have only the most peripheral contact with very serious aspects of VAW such as prostitution and trafficking.

Neither is it clear to the RCNI how the structures of COSC are going to incorporate the expertise and leadership available in the NGO sector. This Agency has come about through the leadership of the NGO sector in partnership with statutory agencies. We may all now find our efforts stymied by what appears to be a reversal and retrograde step.’

Sharon O’Halloran, Director of the National Network of Women’s Refuges and Support Services (NNWRSS) said, ‘the commitment from the Minister was for a national response to VAW. COSC does not appear to be that total government response to VAW. The NSC has adopted the UN definition of VAW and is working under that definition, how will a domestic violence agency serve the NSC as a whole? The NNWRSS and the RCNI urgently call on a meeting with the Minister to clarify these points.’

Notes:
• The RCNI is the national forum of Rape Crisis Centres, which provides a strong voice for survivors and is a catalyst for social change to end rape and all forms of sexual violence.
• The National Network of Women’s Refuges and Support Services is the national forum for domestic violence services in Ireland with 40 member agencies.
• The RCNI have been lead members of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women since its inception with the Taskforce report in 1997
• Fiona Neary is a member of the Advisory Committee developing the NSC’s Strategic Plan out of which emerges COSC

For information contact:
Cliona Saidlear: 087 2196447
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