'Mammy, I'm afraid of my Daddy.'

RESEARCH has shown that there is a link between child abuse and domestic violence. The Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline received 1,658 calls relating to incidents of child abuse in 2010.

Children “are the silent, unseen and unheard victims of domestic violence in modern day Ireland”, said a Women’s Aid spokesperson today (Thursday 24 November).

“The Government needs to apply the best practice principle of protecting the child through the protection and support of the non-abusive parent,” said Margaret Martin, Director of Women’s Aid, at the launch of the 16 Days of Action campaign. “The principle needs to be acknowledged and reflected in any new child protection structures and any review of Family Law and domestic violence legislation.

“For many women who call Women’s Aid, protecting their children is a constant worry,” Ms Martin continued, “It is heartbreaking to listen to women who, with their children are living in a state of fear.”

The current recession has made it more difficult for women to help themselves. Their options have been greatly reduced and they find themselves trapped in relationships built on fear and violence.

Women's Aid. Pic: Google Images

“I wanted to leave, but he told me time and time again, ‘If you ever leave me, I’ll make sure you never see your daughter again’. At times I thought of killing myself. I felt totally trapped. It’s only for my children that I kept myself going.

“The turning point came when my son said to me one day ‘Mammy, I’m afraid of my Daddy’. I knew I had to leave.”  - Alison

“He would slap the children, he said that children needed to be slapped or they would never learn discipline, but it didn’t seem to be about discipline, it was about humiliating them. I will never forget the first time he took Ann into the hall, held her arm so tight and started slapping her on the bottom. I told him to stop, but now I’m at my wits end trying to find ways to protect the children and I got the look, the one that told me, don’t you start.” – Elizabeth.

These are the words of only two of the women who called Women’s Aid. Domestic violence is the most common context in which child abuse takes place, and exposure to domestic violence is recognised as a form of emotional abuse, affecting the child’s well-being.

In 2010 there were 1,658 incidents of child abuse reported to Women’s Aid. The main tactics of abuse were abusers smacking and hitting children with household items; abusers physically or sexually abusing children; abusers constantly shouting in children’s faces.

In addition to these, another 3,014 disclosed that children were living with domestic violence against their mother.

At the launch, Ms Martin said that she was deeply worried about the effect that the 2012 budget would have on women living in such conditions.

Women’s Aid is the only free service available to these women and has already been affected by a number of cuts. Refuges are finding it increasingly difficult to accommodate the women and children that need them, and further cuts will mean putting women and children who are being abused at risk.

Women’s Aid National Freephone service relies very much on public donations. Anyone who wishes to make a donation can do so at www.womensaid.ie or by sending donations to Women’s Aid, Everton House, 47 Old Cabra Road, Dublin 7.

The Women’s Aid Helpline is open from 10am – 10pm, 7 days a week: 1800 341 900.

24 Nov 2011

by Jessica Thompson

Campus Hit by Spate of Pick-Pocket Type Thefts

Published in the Galway City Tribune on 18 November 2011


NUI Galway has been hit by a spate of personal thefts, with 15 wallets and purses reported stolen from the environs of the campus on a single day.

The pickpocket-style thefts are understood to have occurred in daylight hours in the vicinity of University Road and Gardaí have warned students to stop "making themselves targets" by not closing their backpacks properly.

The victims of the crimes have been students of NUI Galway and have been pre-dominantly female, according to the Garda and security at the University which have both received complaints in relation to the thefts.

Head of security at NUI Galway Gerry Nolan has issued advice to students following the spate of thefts. "Most incidents involved money secured in the pockets of backpacks worn over the shoulder and out of sight," he said.

"Students should remains vigilant, refrain from storing items of value in bags that are not completely out of sight and report any incidents of theft to the Garda directly."

A spokesperson for the Garda advised students to be "more careful about the manner in which they secure their belongings". Students should prevent "making themselves targets by no closing their backpacks properly", he added.

There have been no arrests in connection with to date, however gardaí are carrying out ongoing patrols of the area.

Mr. Nolan said that the University had only ever experienced incidents of theft on this scale in the form of bicycle thefts.

18 Nov 2011

by Jessica Thompson and Louise France

Bike Scheme Aims to Reduce Number of Cars on City Roads

Published in the Galway City Tribune on 18 November 2011.

Cost for cyclists in Galway may be as little as €10 a year.

CYCLISTS may be able to avail of a bike rental scheme in Galway city for as little as €10 per year next summer, according to a public bike symposium at NUI Galway earlier this week.

The symposium was one of four held in cities across Ireland this month by Minister of State at the Department of Transport Alan Kelly in order to gauge the level of interest in such schemes from local stakeholders.

A feasibility report commissioned by the Department of Transport to explore the potential for rolling out bike rental schemes in regional cities this year found that Galway was the city most suitable for such a scheme.

Speaking at the symposium, Minister Kelly said: "The Government believes public bike schemes in Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Cork will enhance the city centres."

The Dublin bikes scheme in the capital had proven to be a resounding success since its launch in 2009, he said, and it now boasted more than 63,000 members with over 2.5 million journeys having been made by users.

Bicycles parked outside the Arts Millennium Building 

at NUI Galway during the Public Bike Schemes Symposium. 

Photo: Joe O'Shaughnessy. 

A recently-published report carried out by National Transport Authority (NTA) revealed that a similar bike scheme in Galway would require between 200 and 250 bikes over 23 docking stations within a four square kilometre area around the city.

"Such a scheme has been tentatively costed at €1.7m in capital," and Anne Graham of the NTA, "and almost €4m in operating costs over 15 years plus the apportioned cost of a national control centre.

"There are a number of reasons why a bike scheme would benefit Galway city. This is a sustainable transport that is efficient and easy to use. It would allow users to avoid the heavy traffic congestion and high parking costs of Galway city," she explained.

The symposium was told that membership of the bike scheme could be expected to be extremely economical, with a 3-day cost of €2 and annual membership of €10. Rental without membership would also be likely to be cheap, with the first hald hour of travel costing nothing.

Ms. Graham said that Galway is a very cycle-friendly city, as it is so compact and well suited to a bike-sharing scheme.

She described the scheme as an affordable, efficient means of travel, which aimed to get as many cars as possible off the road and people back on bikes and public transport.

The Galway Cycling Campaign has warmly welcomed the Government's interest in extending the bike share schemes to Galway and other cities, but has warned that a hard-nosed and holistic approach is needed to maximise the benefits.

"It has to operate as 'national' membership," said Oisin O'Nidh, campaign PRO, "a Dublin bike user should be able to get off the train and use a Galway bike and vice versa - membership of one bikeshare scheme should entitle the user to use all schemes."

The cyclists also stress that new design guidance will be needed to deliver the necessary infrastructural changed recommended by the consultants.

Campaign chair Shane Foran pointed out: "This is a bigger issue than bikeshare, in Ireland we also need guidance on suitable road widths in towns, advice on making traffic calming cyclist-friendly and safer layouts at traffic signals. These are all matters that are not well treated in current NTA guidance. Adopting outside design guidance in support of bikeshare will provide other vital tools to promote cycling."

18 Nov 2011

by Jessica Thompson

Tim Minchin at the Bulmers Comedy Festival
Published in Sin Newspaper on 1 Nov 2011.

Tim shows some passion while he plays

The dry ice swirls across the stage, twisting its way around the Steinway piano that awaits its master’s touch. I sit in the seat directly in front of the piano stool. I’ve been at the venue since seven o’ clock, specifically to get this seat. Finally, at eight o’ clock, my hero strolls down through the hall and hops effortlessly onto the stage, to cheers and shouts from the audience.

“There’s a special elevator we’re supposed to go down,” he says, jovially, “but I couldn’t, so I walked all the way down here from my hotel room!” He then proceeds to feel his way along the curtain at the back of the stage, searching for an exit from the stage. “Do you know how to get off stage?” he asks an unseen man behind the curtains. “There’s a man off-stage who doesn’t even know how to get off stage!”

Soon he works his magic on the Steinway, playing sweet music for the ears of the hundreds of watching fans. He wears a white shirt, a black tie, black skinny jeans, and a suit jacket, which is soon removed. His hair is backcombed, as usual, and there is dark eye-liner around his eyes. As always, he plays the piano barefooted.

Not only is Tim a hilarious comedian, but he is a genius on the piano. As he breaks into ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Nerd’, I can’t help, as a pianist, wishing I had his skill - and his piano for that matter. The Steinway is considered the best piano in the world, and as he plays it, I can understand why. But enough ramblings about the piano, lets get back to the pianist!

An alarm goes off somewhere in the middle of the lounge, and Tim explains that it goes off when he’s telling a terrible long-winded joke, for which the punch line isn’t worth the time it takes to tell. “Which means,” he adds, “it will be going off a lot.” The audience bursts into laughter as he asks their forgiveness. He turns to the man on my left, “Man in a suit,” he implores, “forgive me?” The man in the suit nods, delighted to be acknowledged by his hero, and Tim returns to the piano, muttering “always so forgiving, the man in a suit”.

Tim leaps into the air, spins around and plays the final
note of 'Dark Side' with his foot!

Tim plays his way through a number of his songs, including ‘Context’, ‘Prejudice’ and ‘Storm’. Though he doesn’t play ‘Canvas Bags’ - one of my favourites - he plays ‘If I Didn’t Have You’ - a song dedicated to his wife, claiming that he’d have someone else if he didn’t have her. The song is made even funnier by the little wiggle he does between verses.

The finale, however, is the most impressive part of the show. He finishes on the same song he has finished on since he started performing solo six years ago. He jokes about trying to write a new song; “until finally, about three months ago… I gave up.” And why wouldn’t he? ‘Dark Side’ is probably his masterpiece. With fantastic solos, hilarious vocals and even a bit at the end where he jumps in the air, spins around, and uses his foot to play the final notes - true story!! Of course, he was called back for an encore, and played a truly beautiful song - ‘Not Perfect’

Apart from the four lads beside me in the front row who tried singing along, but hadn’t a note in their heads, this gig was definitely one of the best I’ve ever been to! Tim, you are my hero!!

1 Nov 2011

by Jessica Thompson