There have been 67 prosecutions for non-fatal strangulation since it was introduced as a standalone offence in late 2023, gardaí have said.
Fifty-eight of these prosecutions relate to domestic abuse, while research and law enforcement’s experience shows non-fatal strangulation is a “leading indicator of escalating violence in a relationship” and a “significant risk factor for homicide in women”, the force said.
Speaking on “Go Purple Day”, a Garda initiative aimed at raising awareness about domestic abuse, Det Chief Supt Colm Noonan said the 21,000 domestic abuse-related contacts to gardaí so far this year marks a “slight increase” on the same period last year.
He said the rise is a “positive reflection of the trust and the confidence people have in us”.
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“An Garda Síochána has zero tolerance for victim blaming. Nobody has the right to abuse you. We want to reassure women, men and children that you are not alone and that help is available,” he said.
Leanne Ryan, senior manager at Saoirse, a domestic violence support provider in the greater Dublin region, said collaboration with gardaí has “really increased” over the last five years.
“I think they’re taking domestic violence more seriously,” she said.
Garda members are more informed about domestic violence laws, particularly the Criminal Justice (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2023, which targets stalking, non-fatal strangulation and non-fatal suffocations as stand-alone offences, she said.
Since this Act became law, there have been 12 prosecutions for stalking, six of which were linked to domestic abuse, An Garda Síochána said. The offences always existed, Chief Supt Noonan said, but the new law calls them out as “specific crimes in a language that people can understand”.
Coercive control became a criminal offence in 2018, and has since resulted in 52 prosecutions.
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The crime involves a persistent pattern of controlling, coercive and threatening behaviour, including forms of domestic abuse.
An Garda Síochána has encouraged its members to wear purple to mark its “Go Purple Day” initiative.
