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LAST UPDATE | 21 Oct
CABINET HAS APPROVED a memorandum from Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan today on establishing an online domestic violence register that will be managed by the courts.
It will include information on the identities of those who have been found guilty of serious intimate partner abuse by the courts.
The legislation proposed was inspired by the campaign to introduce ‘Jennie’s Law’.
However the full scope of the statutory mechanism that O’Callaghan pitched remains unclear, and the opposition are calling for the domestic violence register to include details on the identities of those who commit all types of intimate partner abuse offences, rather than just physical assaults.
When being questioned on the scope of the register yesterday O’Callaghan said that the new domestic violence register will be managed by the Courts Service of Ireland.
It will be published online under the heading ‘Domestic violence register judgements’.
The Department of Justice has said that the register will include information on those with a history of “serious domestic violence convictions’.
O’Callaghan said the register will include details on those who have been found guilty of “a serious assault of an intimate partner” by the courts.
He said that the names of convicted abusers will only appear on the register after victims have given their consent.
O’Callaghan also said that there will be some circumstances in which, in order to protect victims, an abuser’s name will not be included on the register.
Jennifer Poole was murdered by her then partner Gavin Murphy in 2021. She was 24-years-old at the time, and a mother of two.
She was unaware that Murphy had a criminal history of domestic violence, and had served time in prison for assaulting another woman in the past.
Her family have campaigned over the years since her murder for a domestic violence register to be brought forward.
Their petition called for a Domestic Abuse Register for “repeat offenders and those with convictions”.
They also wanted to see a ‘right to ask’ policy put in place that would enable individuals to check if a partner has a history of abuse, and a ‘right to know’ system that would see gardaí proactively warning those at risk.
Jason Poole, Jennie’s brother, yesterday said that the new law will be a “massive step forward”.
“There’s a massive positive here that we are changing the culture of domestic violence by having a register that will be publicly available for victims or potential victims to be able to access, so they know their partner, they know who they’re living with,” he said.
The petition created by the Poole family, which has been signed by over 27,000 times, noted that Ireland is years behind other countries in taking action on this issue.
In Northern Ireland the PSNI operates a Domestic Violence and Abuse Scheme that enables any person aged 16 or over to ask police if someone has a history of abusive behaviour if they have concerns related to their own partner or someone they know.
That scheme has been up and running since 2018 and many different charities and women’s rights groups have called for a similar initiative to be set up in the Republic.
O’Callaghan is proposing a public register which everyone will be able to access, which is notably different to the scheme that operates in the North and the UK.
Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Domestic and Gender Violence, Máire Devine welcomed the news of the proposed legislation, but warned that the scope of the register should not be limited to physical violence.
“We know many other types of abuse are committed in intimate relationships,” Devine said.
“Stalking, harassment, financial abuse, coercive control, and sexual assault are all examples of convictions which I hope will also be included in the new register. I ask Minister O’Callaghan to help ensure that the people of Ireland are protected from those convicted of all kinds of abuse,” she added.
The Jennie’s Law petition also called for criminal penalties for abusers who “deceive new partners” to be introduced, and for improved protections and legal aid for survivors.
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