Additional reporting by Vivienne Clarke
A women's refuge in the South-East says violence against women is 'systemised and structured'.
Amber women's refuge in Kilkenny say they've seen a 40% increase in their services, a number matched by others around the region.
A crowd of around 300 people gathered outside Tullamore District Courthouse last night, as a man charged with Ashling Murphy's murder appeared in court. The 23-year-old is the 224th woman killed in violent circumstances since records began in 1996.
Speaking to Beat News, Niamh Murphy from Amber says it an endemic in Ireland.
"We did not view that attack as a random attack, violence against women is not random in Ireland, it's systematic and it's structured.
"We deal with the effects of violence against women and violence against children in Amber every day.
"Domestic violence, sexual violence, gender-based violence: it doesn't know any religion, or class, or social status. It doesn't matter what kind of car you have, or what car you drive.
"This is endemic in all areas of our society."
It's as Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has called on the public not to comment on social media about the Ashling Murphy murder case.
“We need to be careful what we say. The process has started, it is important to be allowed to take its course”, she told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show.
There needed to be faith in the criminal justice system, Ms McEntee said.
“We all have a responsibility here.”
"People have to trust the Gardaí and the system and not do anything to jeopardise the process", she added.
