Over 20% rise in the number of applications for domestic violence orders in Tipperary
District court figures released under the Freedom of Information act to the Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú show a 28% increase in the number of applications for domestic violence orders in the district courts in Tipperary between 2022 and 2023
Figures released to Cynthia Ní Mhurchú show that 927 Tipperary people applied to the district courts there in 2023 for a domestic Violence order. That figure is up on the 2022 figure where 724 people applied in Tipperary for a domestic violence order. The district courts in question are Carrick-On-Suir, Clonmel, Nenagh, Thurles, Tipperary town, and Cashel.
Some towns in Tipperary recorded large increases in the number of applications sought. The district court in Carrick-on-Suir recorded a 164% increase in applications for domestic violence orders between 2022 and 2023 – going from 36 to 95. Cashel recorded an 83% increase in the number of applications to the district court for a domestic violence order in the same period.
Only 52% of applications for domestic violence protection orders were granted in 2022 but this rose to 59% of applications for a domestic violence order in Tipperary being granted in 2023. From January to September 2024, 662 domestic violence orders were applied for at district court level in Tipperary of which only 54% were granted.
Nenagh district court had the highest number of applications for a domestic violence order at 273 applications in 2023 followed by Clonmel (215), Thurlus (142), Cashel, (137) Carrick-On-Suir (95) and Tipperary town (65)
There were increases in the number of domestic violence orders applied for between 2022 and 2023 in all Tipperary district courts, except Nenagh which recorded a marginal fall from 282 applications to 273 applications between 2022 and 2023.
Ireland South MEP, Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, herself a former family law barrister, has described these figures as concerning.
She questioned why some Irish towns have recorded enormous increases in the number of victims seeking protection from our district courts.
Ní Mhurchú has called on the incoming Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, to prioritise investment in the area of domestic violence and she called for the following measures:
- More district court judges to deal specifically with family law cases.
- Consider allowing victims of domestic violence to apply for initial protection orders online.
- More consultation rooms for victims in our district courts
- Continued and ongoing training for district and circuit court judges in areas such as domestic violence, coercive control and violence against women.
According to Ní Mhurchú: “So many victims, mostly women, are enduring unthinkable nightmares in their own homes. We need a more victim centred approach. I represented many victims of domestic violence in my past career as a barrister and most were afraid and sometimes didn’t turn up in court. I often had to hold consultations with women on my knees in the foyer of the courthouse – often times with the alleged abuser on the other side of the room. We need to reform our courts to make them more victim centred”
Ní Mhurchú has also said she will be requesting a meeting with the incoming Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, to discuss what further actions can be rolled out to ensure we prioritise the victims of domestic violence in our courts service.