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VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC violence will be provided with temporary and free accommodation if specialist emergency facilities are not available.
The initiative comes as Airbnb partners with Safe Ireland and Women’s Aid to help domestic violence survivors in Ireland.
The country has seen a rise in domestic violence during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Airbnb said it will work through its hotel partners to provide temporary accommodation, free of charge, when specialist emergency accommodation is not available.
Domestic violence services throughout the country will assess the safety needs of survivors before facilitating bookings into the temporary hotel accommodation.
All those accommodated as part of the initiative will continue to be supported by domestic violence specialists.
Safe Ireland is the national policy and services hub for 39 domestic abuse member services.
Safe Ireland will co-ordinate the initiative with its frontline services and support from the Women’s Aid national freephone helpline.
All accommodation costs are sourced and paid for by Airbnb and HotelTonight.
Capacity in domestic violence specialist accommodation is down by approximately 25% because of the need to ensure safe social distancing and to allow for isolation units if needed.
It comes as domestic violence services are reporting a surge in calls and needs, particularly since the country started to ease restrictions.
Many services are reporting they are responding to the double trauma of lockdown and months of abuse, with many seeing a particular increase in women with multiple children coming forward and looking for crisis accommodation in the community.
Caitriona Gleeson, programme and communications manager with Safe Ireland, said the pandemic has “shone a light” onto the epidemic of domestic violence in Ireland.
“It has also sparked an incredible outpouring of empathy, understanding and support for survivors trapped with abusers,” she added.
“The security of safe accommodation is essential for women and children to be able to make their first step towards freedom and recovery.
“This generous contribution by Airbnb means that we will be able to support many more women as they come forward following lockdown.”
Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said the national helpline responded to 39% more calls during the crisis compared to the same period in 2019.
“We are delighted to be assisting referrals through our national freephone helpline so that this supplementary accommodation is available 24/7 where refuge may not be an option,” Sarah added.
Jean Hoey, public policy lead for Airbnb in Ireland, said: “In recent months throughout the pandemic, most of us have been confined to the safety of our homes.
“For those in abusive situations, however, that environment can feel more like a prison. We are proud to support the heroic efforts of Women’s Aid, Safe Ireland and local frontline services by offering temporary safe havens for survivors right across the country.”
The chinese have a domestic abusers register. If you are engaged to be married, you can do a check on your partner to make sure before you tie the knot. A much needed used service from the sounds of it.
@Clurichaun: if only it was that simple….
Children who witness Domestic Abuse or Violence can go on to be Domestic abusers themselves.
Also women who suffer in silence may have seen their own mothers suffer in silence….
There are many different areas of Domestic Abuse and it does not have to be physical it can be emotional or financial and sexual… lots of areas… and I am sure I have a lot to learn on the subject myself.
What we need to do is open dialogue to try and encourage people to speak….
Even encourage the abusers to change their ways to enable them to see what they think is normal is actually wrong.
Men are victims too possibly less physical but can be emotional victims of Domestic Abuse…..
@Paul O’Sullivan: What you say is true, but domestic abuse under emotional, sexual or monetary guises don’t leave such glaring evidence such as a black eye.
It is a bit like the difference between between the victim of being burgled and being defrauded.
If your a victim of being burgled you more than likely are aware of it.
If your defrauded you may not be aware of it, you may even think that person is your best friend.
In my humble opinion, the latter deserves the greater punishment.
Anyway that is enough of a rant for this morning!
@Paul O’Sullivan: The claim that abusers go on to abuse was made in the 60′s, I think. I read a book some time ago that claimed this was in fact untrue but had become so entrenched our popular culture that it was almost impossible to contradict.
Difficult to disagree with anything else you say. Mention domestic abuse and it automatically conjures images of a man abusing a woman as that’s what society is taught it is. Even the article uses language of women as victims, implying men as the perpetrators.
@Clurichaun: I agree with all you said there. It’s terrible when people get physically hurt because of an abusive partner but you can just look around and see how many people are being abused by their partner and not even know it. Its disgusting and experiencing this has terrible effects on the persons life.
Being financially exploited is not ok.
Taking someones kids and house when divorcing or threatening them with leaving is not ok.
Joking about how they abuse their power to their friends in public is not ok. This happens all the time. They call it banter while someone has to endure this at home.
Not respecting your partner is not ok.
We can see a black eye and not someones soul/financials or life being destroyed behind closed doors.
@Arch Angel: I agree with you. I was also trying to highlight coercive abuse , again very hard to prove, it seems to me a topic that is not discussed as much as it should be .
Domestic abuse is a big umbrella term for other abuses aswell , maybe the article was highlighting physical violence but I see it much larger than that …
Some men think they have to be the dominant in the household when its and this can transfer to kids in a negative way…. a childs sense of normality is the environment they were raised in… a man might adore his wife but still be controlling without realizing it, the guy just thinks it’s normal, because his dad was like that…daughters can pick up transference negatively away… it’s more psychological angle I am coming from
Jail the offender, no Woman should have to leave the surroundings that they call home.
Why should the Woman have to seek shelter while the bully gets to stay at the home.
@Michael Clinton: innocent until proven guilty
@Michael Clinton: because Ireland is a patriarchal state to its core. Why would the men be put out?
@Michael Clinton: because there has to be a legal process. You can’t just jail somebody based on an accusation.
What about male victims ??
Develera made sure a woman’s place is at home, in the land of FFFG she can get the boat and rely on NGO’s to find her a new home if she has the audacity to report domestic abuse.
They need a home that welcomes children and pets.
have your say