A booklet on domestic violence is being reissued in Co Kerry in order to highlight the issue again.
Is Domestic Violence Ruining Your Life? You Are Not Alone is the stark message some 45,000 thousand women in Kerry will receive when the revised booklet is posted to them over the next fortnight.
Telephone calls to the women's refuge centre in Tralee increased from 82 per year to 450 as a direct result of a similar postal campaign two years ago. The calls were mainly from people seeking advice.
"It was very obvious we were not getting through to people, because of the nature of domestic violence itself. It is very much about control. That is why we thought of the booklet," Ms Colette Garvey O'Doherty, co-ordinator of ADAPT, which runs the refuge in Tralee, said.
The level of control over women's lives can still shock counsellors, she said. "In some cases every minute is controlled. Going to the shop is timed. Money is a big factor. Women have to account for every penny. Women lose contact with friends and relations," she said.
The booklet gives a list of support services to contact. "Watching a victim of domestic violence can be heartbreaking for family and friends. Sisters, mothers, brothers and children suffer terribly," she added.
The booklet was revised with the help of 15 residents at the women's refuge.
"We know we can expect increases in calls over the next few weeks. We have to be ready with emergency accommodation," Ms Garvey O'Doherty said.