LAST UPDATE | 14 Jul

A NEW OIREACHTAS special committee will focus on the prevention of and response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. 

The committee, which will be formally get established today, will replace the Oireachtas drugs committee, which concluded its work and published its final report last week. 

The new committee will begin its work in the autumn and will have a two-year remit. 

It is understood that People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger will chair the committee. 

It comes after the Oireachtas justice committee published 26 recommendations in a report, including calls for the introduction of a statutory obligation under which any convictions or court orders handed down to a garda for domestic, sexual or gender-based violence must be disclosed, formally recorded and communicated to relevant oversight bodies.

The rate of domestic violence incidents reported to gardaí has risen by 10% in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period last year, according to data released by An Garda Síochána.

Meanwhile, the number of women violently killed in Ireland so far this year has already surpassed the number recorded last year.

Eight women have died in violent circumstances so far this year, compared to seven for the whole of 2025.

Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, noted that since the murder of Ashling Murphy in 2022, 40 women have died violently in Ireland. 

There was also a record high number of contacts for Women’s Aid services last year,

Disclosures in 2025 increased by 33% on 2024.

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Equality, Domestic and Gender Violence, Máire Devine today welcomed the setting up of the new committee, stating that she hopes it will help coordinate massive efforts to tackle domestic violence. 

Devine praised the “valiant but fragmented efforts by Cuan, NGOs, brave activists like David French and Margaret Loftus, and Government and opposition parties”.

“Some good progress has been made by way of pending legislation like Jennie’s Law, Valerie’s Law, and my proposed amendment to Coco’s Law to criminalise creation of sexualised AI deepfake content,” said Devine.

However, she added that “with each fresh report of another victim of violence, it becomes ever clearer that we must redouble our efforts to tackle issues like raising awareness among schoolchildren and third level institutions”.

She also called for continued efforts to “address violent pornography and the normalisation of non-fatal strangulation, and the desperately-needed expansion of refuge accommodation, housing, and supports for survivors”.