Women's Aid refused promised funding, again

Helpline calls unanswered as funding not provided. By Emma Browne

Women's Aid has missed out again this year on €70,000 additional funding they need for their domestic-violence helpline, funding they asked the government for over two years ago.

In October 2004, Women's Aid asked the government for an additional €70,000 a year so they can operate a third line for their helpline. It says it needs the money to employ four people to man the helpline. Last year Women's Aid was unable to answer 40 per cent of calls to the helpline – around 10,504 calls – due to a lack of resources. As well as this, there was an increase of 10,871 callers between 2002 and 2005. Yet funding for the service has not increased over that time. Overall funding for the organisation has been €600,000 for the last four years.

Last year, Frank Fahey, Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, promised to secure the additional €70,000 funding. In May this year they met HSE officials to discuss the matter as they thought funding would come through them. They said they would look into the matter and last week they told Women's Aid that funding would not be forthcoming for this year. The HSE said that they didn't know if Women's Aid could get the funding for next year, but said that the Department of Finance is due to make a decision in early December.

The helpline received 25,843 calls in 2005. Among other abuses, the women calling the line reported being assaulted with sledgehammers and hurleys; being raped in front of their children; being made to re-enact pornography films while heavily pregnant; and being locked in a car that was then set alight.

With the additional €70,000 Women's Aid plans to employ to one person to man the helpline 20 hours a week and two others to work eight hours a week.

Margaret Martin, director of Women's Aid says: "We are disappointed that yet another year has gone by without the funding. The delays are extremely frustrating for a very small mount of money compared to the HSE's budgets. We would ask that the money is ring-fenced and can't get lost in the system."