Two separate reports raise concerns of under-reporting of domestic violence
Two separate reports have revealed the level of abuse and harassment suffered by women in Ireland, and raise further concerns that there is an under-reporting of the violence they face.
Both surveys, published on International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women raise particular concerns surrounding the impact these abuses have on women in the workplace.
An international study commissioned by Vodafone estimates some 15% of the female workforce internationally has experienced domestic violence and abuse in the past 12 months - an estimated 23,000 working women here in Ireland.
The study calculates that the potential loss of earnings per woman in Ireland as a result of abuse having negative impacts on career progression is €5,648.
The analysis conducted by KPMG is based on data and insights from existing studies and publicly available statistics from organisations including the World Bank, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations (UN), and the findings of a survey conducted across nine countries including Ireland.
The report further estimates that Irish businesses lose €26 million in economic output a year as a result of work absences related to domestic abuse, and that 5,000 working women have taken time off work in the past year because of domestic abuse.
Commenting on the findings, Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid said the charity’s 24hr National Freephone Helpline responds to more than 44 calls a day from women experiencing emotional, physical, sexual and financial abuse in their own homes and in their relationships.
“We know this is just the tip of the iceberg and believe that it is important that women are able to access really good support from support networks, health professionals and critically, at work,” she said.
Meanwhile, a new survey from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions has found that four out of five workers experiencing sexual harassment at work do not report the incident to their employer.
The survey of 1,347 union members across the country with experience of sexual harassment at work was conducted online between November 1 and 14 last. 72% of the responses were from women (971).
81% of respondents did not report the unwanted sexual behaviour to their employer, and one in four of the minority who did report such incidents felt it was taken seriously and dealt with satisfactorily.
More than half (55%) of sexual harassment incidents reported had taken place on work premises, while 20% had taken place at a work-related social event such as a Christmas party.
Around one-third of respondents who did not report the incident to their employer feared that doing so would have a negative impact on their working relationships (32%) while one in four feared it would have a negative impact on their career (27%).
Two percent of all respondents reported being seriously sexually assaulted or rape at work, of which five respondents said that this occurred within the past 12 months.
