A bishop and a Garda inspector will join Olive Braiden of the Rape Crisis Centre and the director of Women's Aid, Denise Charlton, at an event in Sligo next week aimed at raising awareness of the issue of violence against women.
It is being organised by Sligo Family Centre and will begin with a play, No Excuse! No Abuse!, which was written specifically for the occasion.
It will convey the difficulties faced by women in violent situations by depicting typical scenarios in an abusive household and by recounting real-life stories.
Ms Carol Wilson, the development officer of Sligo Family Centre, said the aim of the evening was to raise awareness of the problem, particularly among professionals who come into contact with abused women in their work.
A discussion chaired by Ms Braiden will follow the play. The Bishop of Elphin, Dr Christy Jones, will be on the panel along with a local Garda inspector, representatives of the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and the North Western Health Board, a lawyer and Ms Charlton of Women's Aid.
"We hope this will be the first step towards a more integrated response to the problem from professionals, and also to a greater awareness among the general public," Ms Wilson said.
A lack of training in dealing with such situations among gardai, lawyers and the judiciary was one of the biggest problems.
She gave an example of a garda in one rural town who informed a man who had beaten up his wife of the location of the refuge where she was staying.
The other major problem was a lack of specific services for victims of domestic violence.
"In Sligo, there is nothing designated for abused women. There are general social workers and medical staff, of course, but there is no refuge, helpline or second-stage housing," Ms Wilson said.
The evidence was there to show that men had got away with violence in the home, which if it had occurred in any other sphere would have resulted in arrest, conviction and punishment.
According to the Garda Commissioner's Report of 1997, only 41 per cent of domestic violence cases in the Sligo-Leitrim area resulted in arrest. The conviction rate nationally is 16 per cent.
"There is a hangover in people's minds that it is a private matter, that you shouldn't get involved. Gardai often see their role as peacemaker rather than law enforcer, but that would not be the case with any other form of violence," she said. Even when someone is arrested, the legal backup is not there to ensure conviction.
However, responses in other counties have proved successful when the authorities have made a serious attempt to ensure conviction and compulsory programmes for perpetrators have been introduced.
Ms Wilson has devised the play with her husband, Willie Conlon, a local writer and director, and it will be performed by Wild Geese Productions. No violence will be depicted on stage, although the case histories are both shocking and disturbing.
She said it was important that Dr Jones was present, because for many rural women the local priest was still the first person they approached to seek help.
The event, which has been funded by the North Western Health Board, takes place in the Hawk's Well Theatre on next Wednesday at 8 p.m. and everybody is welcome.
A Women's Arts Day will be held in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim, tomorrow and will include performances, demonstrations and readings.
Various arts and crafts groups will display their work and events will include a singing workshop, a dance performance and a demonstration of herbal and traditional remedies.
All the art on display will have been created by women's groups from around Leitrim but men are also welcome to the event, which is being held at the Rehab Care Centre in Ballinamore from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.