Government must act now to ensure services for survivors of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

Labour Leader Ivana Bacik TD has today called out Government failure to provide funding for community and voluntary sector workers who provide support for victims and survivors of Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence. Speaking in the Dáil today, Deputy Bacik demanded urgent clarity on why monies due to Section 39, 56 and 10 organisations have apparently not been released by the Department of Justice and its statutory agency, Cuan, to those organisations in order to enable them to pay their staff.

Deputy Bacik said:

“Those working in rape crisis centres, domestic violence refuges and counselling services provide essential support to victims and survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. Yet they continue to face uncertainty because of this Government’s failings. We understand that the Department of Justice had committed to releasing funding to Cuan in order to pay these organisations by 1st October. But as of last week, no contact had been made with the more than seventy organisations who rely on this funding, and no sanction has been made to release the monies to payroll. This is a disgrace in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.

“Government has once again shown disregard for those who stand at the frontline in the fight against domestic and sexual violence. These are highly skilled professionals who provide support, counselling and refuge to those in crisis. To leave them unpaid is both unacceptable and deeply damaging to confidence in the sector. When I raised this directly with the Minister for Justice in the Dáil, he side-stepped the question and did not provide any adequate or substantive response. This is not just about wages – it is about the ability of survivors to access the help and supports that they need. If workers are left in limbo, services cannot be sustained. Victims and survivors must not be abandoned because of bureaucratic failures and ministerial inaction.

“We know that women and men experiencing abuse rely on trusted frontline organisations for support at their most vulnerable moments. To allow uncertainty to continue is undermining both of those survivors, and of the staff who dedicate their lives to supporting them. Survivors deserve better – and so do the workers who support them.”