Family Domestic Violence Law Act of 1996
Ireland enacted a major domestic violence law designed to provide protection to domestic violence victims. The Domestic Violence Act, 1996, was enacted Feb. 27, 1996. The act allows victims to apply to the Family Law Court for safety, barring, interim barring and protection orders against the domestic violence perpetrator. Any violation of the order could result in arrest by the Gardai, the Irish police. Despite the introduction of the Act in 1996, Irish Health's website reports in 2010 that domestic violence remains prevalent in Ireland.
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History
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The Family Law Act was the precursor to the Domestic Violence Act, 1996. The Family Law Act gave Irish circuit and district courts the power to grant barring and protection orders in domestic violence cases.
Abuse Statistics
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A 2010 article in Irish Health claims that domestic violence continues to run rampant in Ireland. The website indicates that 25 percent of women in Ireland experience some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime. Statistics gathered through domestic violence calls to the Women's Hotline show that 33 percent of women experience physical violence.
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Definitions
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Domestic violence is "threatening behavior, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, verbal, sexual, financial or emotional) inflicted on one person by another where they are or have been intimate partners or family members, irrespective of gender or sexual orientation," according to the Northern Ireland Office of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.
Types of Abuse
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Abuse can be physical, mental, emotional, financial and sexual. Physical abuse includes slapping, punching, hitting, kicking and strangulation. Mental abuse includes name calling, intimidation, threats to harm others, controlling access to money and controlling who the victim can see. Sexual abuse encompasses touching or forcing another to have sex against their will.
Act Features
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The act allows victims of domestic violence to seek legal remedies to protect them from perpetrators of abuse. The legal remedies include orders barring the abuser from varying degrees of contact with the victim.
Types of Orders
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Protection Orders come in two types: Safety and barring. A safety order prohibits a violent person from further violence or threats. It does not bar that person from leaving the family home, but if that person lives in a different home than the victim, the order prohibits the perpetrator from watching or being near the victim's residence. A barring order goes a step farther. It requires the perpetrator to leave the family home.
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References
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- Photo Credit bollino violenza image by Matteo Piras from Fotolia.com
