Suzanna Knight
Head of Training and Development, Women’s Aid Ireland
A survey of pregnant women subjected to domestic violence found that most said that fear, shame and concern about having their children taken away stopped them from asking maternity staff for help.
The survey was part of an independent evaluation of a pilot partnership between Women’s Aid, the national frontline support service for women subjected to domestic abuse and four national maternity hospitals. The pioneering project emerged from years of Women’s Aid work with maternity hospital staff and with survivors of domestic abuse.
Training and raising awareness for pregnant victims
The aim was to use a three-pronged approach to training: (1) awareness raising and outreach to increase practical support to pregnant victims of domestic abuse; (2) enhance understanding of coercive control among maternity staff; and (3) create disclosure-friendly environments in maternity hospitals and units across the country.
Both mother and baby are victims
of domestic abuse during pregnancy.
Support services for pregnant victims
A dedicated one-to-one support service, which was established in maternity hospitals as part of the project, provided ‘same-day’ support upon referral to 379 victims of domestic abuse.
Speaking of the need for such targeted support for pregnant women, Women’s Aid CEO, Sarah Benson, says: “Pregnant women who are subjected to domestic violence and abuse face a range of barriers to help-seeking and disclosure, during a vulnerable and high-risk period. Persistent abusive and controlling behaviours by their partners, including physical assault can be devastating for a woman in what should be a joyful time in her life. The harms of domestic abuse during the perinatal period in particular targeted assaults aimed at the abdomen, increase the risk of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality. Essentially, both mother and baby are victims of domestic abuse during pregnancy.”
Specialist hospital-based campaigns
The pilot maternity project developed and delivered specialist training to nearly 350 maternity care staff in the participating hospitals: the Rotunda, the National Maternity Hospital, the Coombe Hospital and Cork University Maternity Hospital.
At the same time, regular specially designed hospital-based awareness campaigns increased visibility of the issue and built understanding of the harms of domestic abuse during pregnancy. The independent evaluators found that the model of training and increasing awareness of domestic abuse should be replicated and expanded across maternity settings and other areas of the health service.
You can read the full evaluation report at www.womensaid.ie/get-informed
