Significant increase in government funding for organisations supporting victims of crime
Locations
The Minister for Justice, Ms Helen McEntee recently announced an increase of more than 20% of funding to support victims of crime. The funding has increased to €4.9 million for 2022 from €3.8 million in 2021.
The funding will support more than 60 organisations throughout Ireland, to include national organisations such as Barnardos, Women’s Aid and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), in addition to local organisations, general victim support organisations and specialist organisations.
The funding covers allocations for the following categories;
- national and larger organisations;
- a range of local organisations working with victims across the country, such as Women’s Aid in Dundalk and Wexford Rape Crisis;
- general victims support organisations such as the Crime Victims Helpline and;
- specialist organisations including the Irish Tourist Assistance Service, Ruhama and Dignity 4 Patients.
In particular, €250,000 has been allocated to a number of organisations for training and awareness raising of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.
This funding is in addition to funding announced last year, to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women for areas relating to 'Supporting a Victim's Journey' and for areas of the country or categories of victims not currently fully covered by support services for victims.
Ms Helen McEntee commenting on the announcement of the additional funding said “I am working to build a victim-centred criminal justice system where victims know they will be treated with respect and dignity when they come forward to report what happened to them".
This additional funding follows the Department of Justice inviting applications for funding from registered charities and other related group who provide services to victims of crime, such as organisations that provide support, information and advice on the rights of victims, as well as counselling services, court accompaniment and other accompaniment. The overall objective envisaged by the Department of Justice is "to ensure that these services are available to all victims who need them, to a consistently high standard and throughout the State"
This announcement coincided with the Department of Justice holding its first Victims’ Forum, which was held with the aim of frontline organisations exchanging information on how victims’ rights could be improved.
Written by Eimear Burke, Danielle Sumner and Hannah Torpey.