Violence against women, perpetrated by an intimate partner when combined with pregnancy is a significant public health and human rights issue and a form of intimate partner violence (IPV).
IPV during pregnancy has attracted a lot of attention due to its pervasiveness, negative health consequences and intervention potential.
Statistics
18 pregnant women were either accommodated and/or received support from a domestic abuse service in Ireland on a particular Tuesday in Ireland in 2014 (Safe Ireland Annual Review 2013-2014). Another Safe Ireland report cites a study of 400 pregnant women by the Rotunda Maternity Hospital that showed 12.5% (1 in 8) had experienced abuse while they were pregnant. (O’Donnell S, John M, Mc Kenna P.F, Abuse in Pregnancy- The Experience of Women [2000]).
Similarly, 5% of women in Ireland suffered a miscarriage as a result of severe abuse in an intimate relationship (Safe Ireland report as cited in National Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland (2005).
Likewise, as cited in several studies, 30% of women experience domestic violence for the first time during pregnancy (Responding to Violence against Women and Children – the role of the NHS, The report of the Taskforce on the Health Aspects of Violence against Women and Children, March 2010).
Furthermore, a UK report names domestic violence in pregnancy as an important sign of poor maternal and child health outcomes, including maternal mortality.
It also states that 70 out of 295 women (24%) who died during pregnancy or within six weeks of giving birth had a history of domestic violence. 19 of these women were murdered. (CEMACH (2007) Saving Women’s Lives: Reviewing Maternal Deaths to Make Motherhood Safer 2003-2005 CEMACH UK).
Conclusively, it is a myth that pregnant women will never be abused and this should be treated as a fallacy.
References
you know is experiencing domestic abuse or is affected by any of the issues mentioned above phone COPE Galway Domestic Abuse Service at 091 565 985 (24hours)
- Safe Ireland Annual Review 2013-2014
- O’Donnell S, John M, Mc Kenna PF, Abuse in Pregnancy- The Experience of Women, Nov 2000, Vol 98, No.8)
- Nationa(Responding to Violence against Women and Children – the role of the NHS, The report of the Taskforce on the Health Aspects of Violence against Women and Children, March 2010)l Crime Council and ESRI, Domestic Abuse of Women and Men in Ireland (2005)
- CEMACH (2007) Saving Women’s Lives: Reviewing Maternal Deaths to Make Motherhood Safer 2003-2005 CEMACH UK]
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or is affected by any of the issues mentioned above phone COPE Galway Domestic Abuse Service at 091 565 985 (24hours)
