Blood money
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Pam Lewis: Council has given a ‘raw deal’ to Women’s Aid.
EXACTLY 10 years after a local woman was battered to death by her abusive partner, Antrim Council has finally stumped up cash to help end the nightmare of domestic violence.
Virginia Adamson was murdered on January 1 1999 in her Springfarm home after a drunken row culminated in bloody violence.
Sadly Virginia had sought sanctuary in a women's refuge in Ballymena in the days prior to her death, before taking the fatal decision to give her tormentor one last chance. He was later sentenced to life imprisonment.
The 41-year-old's death put the spotlight on domestic violence and the plight of the people suffering in silence behind closed doors - but this week Women's Aid has confirmed that a decade on, many locals are still living under the dark shadow of mental cruelty and physical abuse.
Co-ordinator Fran O'Boyle confirmed that the referrals from the Antrim area were 'far and away' the highest of the five areas they serve - though the financial contribution from the Council was the smallest 'by a considerable margin'.
“We've had a huge increase in the number of referrals from Antrim. Absolutely huge," she told a visibly shaken Council chamber.
“A lot of women are still seeking to move into refuge but I would estimate that half of those come from Antrim. That's the scale of the problem.
“There's undoubtedly a significant need for the service here, and we are very keen to deliver it. It wouldn't be going to far to describe it as a crisis.
“We have two workers covering the Newtownabbey area and we actually had to pull one of them out to help cover the demand in this area."
Women's Aid were forced to close their offices in Antrim back in 2005 because they were unable to secure funding, but now they are back at Market Square - and this time they sought a financial commitment from the Civic Centre to allow them to offer a sustainable lifeline to families torn apart from within.
With support from the Housing Executive, they are now hoping to buy a permanent HQ on High Street.
That service comes at a cost, however, and Women's Aid predict that they will need to raise £6,900 per year just to 'make ends meet'.
In the past Antrim Council has declined to help meet that total, but warnings of the 'desperate need' for the service clearly struck a chord - particularly when they were reminded of their reluctance to back Women's Aid in the past.
“How blunt can I be?" asked Ms O'Boyle. "Out of the five Council areas Antrim is the least generous. Others are paying for workers' salaries or creche facilities.
“I don't want to push any buttons or get backs up, but that support has not been forthcoming from this Council."
She added, though, that they would continue to serve victims even if Civic leaders declined to reverse that policy.
“We would never turn our backs on people suffering domestic violence. We may have been forced to close our office in Antrim down before, but we never turned our backs on the victims," she said.
DUP Councillor Pam Lewis, the outgoing chair of Antrim District Policing Partnership, said the Council owed the group a debt of thanks - and the promise of financial support.
“I've worked very closely with this group over the last 12 months and I know they do a fantastic job. They've had a bit of a raw deal from Antrim, so it's time we stepped up to the mark and supported them as much as we can," she said.
She proposed that the Council should give them aid to the tune of £3,500 towards their costs - and while the chamber was generally receptive, there were some concerns about the group could expect a similar sum next year.
“I would be of the opinion that if we were to find that sum this year, we could be expected to roll over again in 2009," said Traditional Unionist Mel Lucas.
“And while I support the work they do, we have to be mindful that this Council is facing a financial crisis of its own. We have to consider if it is right and proper that we should be left to pay for the offices of another agency."
DUP Councillor Trevor Clarke said they 'could and should' - and Sinn Fein's Henry Cushinan heartily agreed.
“I support this because tackling domestic violence should be one of our top priorities. As far as I'm concerned, no further justification is required. People are suffering and if we are in a position to help them, then we should," said Mr Cushinan.
Alliance Councillor Alan Lawther said that domestic violence was a grim daily reality for many local families, adding that the chamber frequently awarded money to issues 'which are much less significant'.
“This is a commitment for one year and one year only, but in my opinion it's very likely that we will commit again."
With momentum building in support of the proposal. Trevor Clarke said the Council had a duty to stand 'shoulder to shoulder with the people who are suffering in silence'.
“It would be terribly wrong for us to shun our responsibilities here," he said. "It would ultimately be the wider community which would suffer."
This captured the prevailing mood, as the Lewis lifeline won the unanimous approval of the chamber.
Speaking afterwards, Councillor Lewis welcomed the vote of confidence - adding that it could 'change or even save lives'.
