A working group established in 1995 by the National Women’s Council of Ireland and funded by the Department of Justice has recommended eighty-four reforms to the Minster of Justice in dealing with violent crimes against women. Minister of Justice Mrs. Owen has pledged that some of the recommendations will go into effect immediately. Some of these reforms include giving rape victims their own teams in court and keeping them appraised of each step in the legal process. The report found that, “men’s violence against women and children is at crisis levels” in Ireland. It also found that too little attention is focused on the violence women face in the home (most of the legal and media attention is focused on “stranger danger”), only ten to fifteen percent of domestic abuse if reported. And, while half of rapes are reported, the conviction rate remains small.
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