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Ireland: Provide Legal Aid to
Domestic Violence Survivors!
Domestic Violence Survivors!
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Dear friends, When an unnamed woman in Ireland sought a barring order to protect her from her abusive husband, it should have been an open-and-shut case. Why? Because her husband had held her captive and threatened to kill her. But a week later, he was allowed right back in the house. That's because the woman had no legal representation when she went to court. Even though she was entitled to legal aid based on her income, she couldn't afford the government mandated €130 legal contribution from clients. That left her alone to argue her case. Without legal aid, the woman was forced to represent herself in court, while her husband had a solicitor. She said that standing in front of the judge on her own, with no legal training or advice, made her feel "intimidated" and "tangled up". Meanwhile, her husband's solicitor claimed that she was lying and said that she had been the abusive one. As a result, the judge refused to grant her request for a barring order — and instead, allowed her husband to return back to her house. Too scared to go home, and with few options left to protect herself, she fled to a refuge. Legal service advocates throughout Ireland are challenging the danger and unfairness of this system. The Free Legal Advice Centre (Flac) shared this woman's case publicly to highlight the devastating consequences of the compulsory fee for those who cannot afford it. The Law Society of Ireland is also supporting Flac's call to drop the charge. Even the United Nations has urged Ireland to stop requiring victims of domestic violence to pay a contribution fee. But so far, the government has ignored all of these pleas for change. Now it's time for you and I to publicly join the movement to help survivors of domestic abuse. Sign the petition to ensure all victims have access to legal aid! Thank you for all that you do,
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