Leitrim excluded from list of areas prioritised for domestic violence refuge centre

Leitrim, one of nine counties in Ireland that does not have a refuge shelter for women fleeing domestic violence, is not currently being prioritised for the provision of such a refuge, a meeting of Leitrim County Council has heard.

Last year, in July, Cllr Róisín Kenny proposed a motion asking senior figures of the Council when a refuge centre could be expected in the county. 

The Council wrote to the Department of Justice at the time but received no correspondence in response.

Now, over a year later, Cllr Kenny has again requested that the Council seek an update from the Department of Justice and Government regarding the provision of a domestic violence refuge in the county. 

The provision of a refuge unit was included in the zero-tolerance strategy to tackle domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence published in June 2022.

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Following her very first motion in July 2024, Cllr Kenny reminded members that the directive comes from the Istanbul Convention, which Ireland ratified in 2019, stipulating that there should be one refuge unit for every 10,000 women and girls aged over 15 years.

She told members she had been in touch with the Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (DVAS), who noted that while there is some progress being made on establishing a centre in Sligo, nothing has been done so far in Leitrim. “I’m very disappointed that the motion from over 12 months ago received no reply,” said Cllr Kenny.

Director of Services for Housing, Mary Quinn, informed Cllr Kenny that there are 12 areas prioritised for the provision of a refuge. 

Sligo is included on that list, as are Longford, Cavan, and Monaghan, but Leitrim is not among the initial priority areas. 

She assured Cllr Kenny that the Council will follow up to establish the most up-to-date position with the relevant Government department.

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The nine counties in Ireland that do not have a domestic violence refuge centre are Leitrim, Sligo, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford, Laois, Offaly, Roscommon, Carlow, and Westmeath.

DVAS offers a free and confidential support service for women experiencing abuse in relationships in Leitrim, Sligo and West Cavan. More information can be found on DVAS at domesticviolence.ie