An average of one domestic abuse incident has been reported to the gardai every 15 minutes this year.
The force had dealt with 24,686 cases by September 9th - with over 10% of those calls taken from regions of the South-East.
New Garda figures have shown the number of domestic abuse calls nationwide since the beginning of the year, with Dublin accounting for 36% of the nation's figures.
The highest in the South-East is Wexford, which has recorded 770 calls alone under the motive of domestic abuse.
This can account for any domestic abuse incidents, including breaches of barring orders.
Waterford (653) and Tipperary (649) have both received almost an identical amount of domestic abuse calls in 2021, while the Carlow/Kilkenny region has recorded 546 calls thus far this year.
A recent Safe Ireland and NUI Galway research report, found that the aggregate cost of domestic violence to a woman, over her journey from abuse to safety, is approximately €113,475 over a time span of 20 years or more.
The new report is the first to assess the indicative economic and social costs of domestic violence to women survivors in Ireland.
Based on the individual estimate, the report assesses that the national cost of domestic violence to survivors is an estimated €56 billion over a 20.5 year journey — a total cost that is based on the most comprehensive study of the prevalence of violence against women in Ireland (Fundamental Rights Agency — FRAU — 2014).
While the cumulative cost of domestic violence is a more useful measure of the economic impact of abuse over a “lifetime”, according to the researchers, it does indicate that domestic violence is costing women survivors at least €2.7 billion each year.
Assessing the Social and Economic Cost of Domestic Violence was undertaken for Safe Ireland by researchers, Dr Nata Duvvury and Dr Caroline Forde, of NUI Galway’s Centre for Global Women’s Studies.
It is based on in-depth interviews with 50 women, using a purposive sampling strategy to ensure diversity and representation. The costs were tracked over three distinct phases; the abusive relationship phase lasting on average 15 years, the sanctuary and interim phase lasting on average 1.5 years and the relocation and recovery phase, spanning on average four years.
Echoing the EU prevalence study, emotional abuse was the most common form of domestic violence/coercive control.
The new Irish findings are in line with, and contribute to, the international evidence base for the cost of domestic violence. Research from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), released last week, has estimated that the cost of gender-based violence across the EU is €366 billion a year. Violence against women makes up 79 per cent of this cost, amounting to €289 billion.
