Madam, - It is unclear if Kevin Myers actually misunderstood what Women's Aid were highlighting last week, or if he pretended to misunderstand so that he could use the opportunity to pour scorn on the work of our organisation (An Irishman's Diary, December 1st).
It is regrettable that, regardless of whether Mr Myers has respect for the work of our organisation, he feels the need to attack us in such vitriolic language.
For whatever motives, Mr Myers seems to have completely missed the point of our commemoration last week. He points to the fact that more men are murdered than women and that we were choosing to "discard the majority victim-group". We were doing no such thing.
The purpose of highlighting female homicide is to draw attention to the sobering reality that female homicide (unlike male homicide) is overwhelmingly perpetrated by a male intimate or a male who is known to the victim. A significant number of female homicides are the culmination of years of systematic domestic violence.
This pattern does not exist in regard to male homicide. What is common to both male and female homicide is that the perpetrator tends to be male in the vast majority of cases.
Incidentally, the figure of 107 in 108 months went up to 108 on the day Mr Myers's article was printed. - Yours, etc.,
MARGARET MARTIN,
Director,
Women's Aid,
Old Cabra Road,
Dublin 7.
Madam, - In his rush to disparage Women's Aid, Kevin Myers exposed again his inability to analyse sexual and domestic violence against women in our society without his own misogyny entering the equation.
It was clear to most people that the purpose of the Women's Aid vigil outside the Dáil last Thursday was to raise awareness of the fact that 107 women have been murdered in this State over the past eight years. The fact that 69 of these women were murdered in their own homes and that many knew their killer is very alarming.
These statistics would strike anyone as worthy of deeper investigation - anyone, that is, but Mr Myers, who uses the opportunity to launch a personalised and insulting attack on an organisation which for the past 30 years or so has worked to provide help, refuge and a voice for women living with unimaginable violence within their own homes on a daily basis.
Mr Myers selectively highlights the case of Norma Cotter to demonstrate some non-existent conspiracy within the justice system that apparently allows women to kill with impunity. Even a cursory look at this case would paint a different picture to that which Kevin Myers sought to portray. Norma Cotter did not walk free from court after "cheerfully shot-gunning" her husband, but was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced. Mr Myers has chosen to ignore the many men who have been found guilty of the manslaughter of their wives/partners in favour of continually mentioning the Norma Cotter case. Obviously, they did not suit whatever point he was making.
As for his fatuous analogies with apartheid South Africa, Iraq and the victims of the conflict of the "Troubles", as someone who grew up during the conflict in the North I find this nothing more than cynical opportunism. - Yours, etc.,
CHRISTINA SHERLOCK,
Usher's Island,
Dublin 8.
Madam, - It really surprises me that Kevin Myers is allowed to print such insulting journalism as he did on December 1st and has on previous occasions. I'm not sure why he is so set against women's organisations, but not agreeing with someone's viewpoint is surely not good enough reason to dismiss them as desperately silly.
It does your paper no favours to employ such tactics. Please stop. - Yours, etc.,
IAN CONNOLLY,
Willow Park Grove,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 11.