Novel drive to tackle domestic abuse

Group believes domestic violence is increasing

A north Belfast group has decided to take its battle against domestic violence to the pubs.

One of the men behind the scheme, Jim Deery, said they were using beer mats to get the message across.

"These are being distributed to the bars in north Belfast," he said.

We are not condemning or pointing the finger at anyone - what we want to do is to try and stop it

Jim Deery

"I was in a bar and overheard some young men talking and was quite frightened about what they were saying and their dealings with their partners - there wasn't one dissenting voice.

"The Ashton Community Trust and the New Lodge Forum have come together to try and address this issue."

Studies

Mr Deery said the reasons behind domestic violence in the area included social deprivation and families living on low incomes.

"We are not condemning or pointing the finger at anyone - what we want to do is to try and stop it.

"We are going to run a series of workshops and seminars, possibly on the theme of self-esteem and personal development and hope that we will be able to have discussions and raise awareness of the problem."

Two studies published earlier this year suggested nearly half of women have suffered domestic violence.

Jim Deery: Using beer mats to get message across

The studies, carried out in Dublin and east London and published in the British Medical Journal, also indicated many doctors may be failing to identify domestic abuse victims.

Both studies found about 40% of women questioned had experienced physical or verbal abuse in a relationship.

But only 4-5% had been asked by their GP if they had been hit, injured or abused by their partner.