Thirteen women and 12 children an hour, on average, sought refuge from domestic violence on one day in November last year, a new report has shown.

The figures were compiled by Safe Ireland, a national network of women’s refuges and support services, who conducted a head count of people using domestic violence services was held on November 4th, the Irish Times reports.

It found that 182 women and 247 children were staying in refuges or transitional housing on that day. A further 186 had received support services from projects on the day.

The figures did not show whether the women were married or cohabiting.

However, figures produced by the Courts Services in 2006 showed that, although only 14 per cent of couples cohabit, cohabiting couples accounted for 31 per cent of domestic violence barring orders.

Overseas research suggests that cohabiting relationships tend to be more abusive, with one US study showing that cohabiting couples reported rates of physical aggression in their relationship that were three times higher than those reported by married couples. More recent US Government research also shows that children raised by cohabiting parents are more vulnerable to abuse than children raised within marriage.

The report, the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4), showed that the highest risk of abuse was for children whose single parent has an unmarried partner . According to the the study, the risk of abuse for such children “was more than 2 times greater than the risk for children living in these other living arrangements”.

According to the study’s authors: “Children living with one parent who had an unmarried partner in the household had the highest incidence of Harm Standard maltreatment (57.2 per 1,000). Their rate is more than 8 times greater than the rate for children living with two married biological parents.”

Safe Ireland’s research also found that 11 women and their 16 children were admitted to refuges on that day while lack of space meant six other women could not be accommodated. Some 184 women called domestic violence helplines on that day.

An ethnic breakdown shows that 77 per cent of the women accessing services were classified as white, while 9 per cent were classified as Travellers and 8 per cent were black women. Women in the 26-45-year-old age group accounted for 64 per cent of people seeking help while 12 per cent were aged 46-55 years.

Almost 70 per cent of women were Irish, followed by Nigerian (4 per cent) and British (3 per cent).

Safe Ireland conducted a similar census on November 4th, 2008 and while it stressed that it was not fair to compare one-day census figures, an additional 105 women were accommodated or received support from the services on November 4th, 2009.

Figures also showed what Ms Carey called a “disturbing and unprecedented” 43 per cent rise in the number of women accessing domestic violence services over the past two years. More than 7,400 women received support from such services last year, compared to 6,111 in 2008 and 5,195 in 2007.

Ms Carey urged that domestic violence services be protected from cuts and said the long-term cost of supporting victims was much greater in terms of services provided by emergency departments, GPs and social services.

The In Just One Day census report was launched by Minister for the Environment John Gormley who described it as “extremely powerful”. He said he was determined that his department’s funding for homeless services, which includes refuges, would not be reduced.

Mr Gormley said funding had increased by 5 per cent last year and “it is my intention that it should remain untouched because this is an area that involves very vulnerable people, the most vulnerable in our society, and I think as a society we have a duty to protect the most vulnerable, despite the economic downturn”.

Safe Ireland’s director Sharon O’Halloran said the only way to end domestic violence was to speak openly about it. “The bolder we are when speaking of this, the greater our belief in openness can become, and the greater our chances will become of success in social change,” she said.

Domestic violence was “one of the most debasing, and still to some extent, hidden and unmentionable crimes” happening all over Ireland, she said.

(Note: Picture for story is posed.)