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Chapter 1: What alarming statistics about violence against women were revealed?
You would have heard in the news at one as well as talking about the weather, which we were just discussing, people on their way to the beaches, that they were talking about these CSO stats, these CSO figures that have been published. They're really worrying stuff. 2,460 women have been physically attacked between January and March of this year, and it's a near 10% increase on last year.
27 women. every day for the first quarter of this year. 27 women every single day report having been attacked. And actually, report has done a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence because, as we know from covering this, there are many, many more who are attacked and they do not report it for a whole variety of reasons. But,
You take that and you combine it with the story from yesterday about the number of disclosures of domestic violence and abuse made to women's aid last year, a 33% increase in that case in 2025 in those contacts to women's aid. And I would suggest that we have... a problem in our society. Cuiva Haughey is on the line 0818715815 by the way the number if you want to get in touch on this issue.
Cuiva you're welcome to the show. Before we talk about your situation are you surprised at all by these figures?
Good afternoon Ciarán thank you for having me on about this important issue.
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Chapter 2: How do personal experiences of violence impact perceptions of safety?
I'm shocked by the level, the escalation, but I'm not surprised based, unfortunately, on my own experiences.
So tell me about those experiences.
So I work in Dublin. My offices are based on Merchants Quay opposite the forecourts. And last summer in August, I was on my way back, having enjoyed a very pleasant evening with my staff and on my way back to the office. And as I was walking along Merchants Quay, where the Merchants Quay clinic is, there was quite a large gathering of people outside. It was a fine, sunny evening.
I look back with hindsight, I feel I should have walked across to the other side of the road near the river. but I didn't. And as I walked down the footpath, a man approached me, somewhat disorientated, unnerved me quite a bit by his demeanour, demanded that I give him a cigarette.
I responded, I'm fairly feisty, as people might know, and I used a profanity in telling him to get away and get out of my space. Then a woman appeared suddenly at my left shoulder and She was very aggressive. Then a few others gathered around, but she was the main protagonist and sort of kept walking in front of me. I kept going.
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Chapter 3: What happened during Cuiva Haughey's assault in Dublin?
I also issued a profanity to her. And without another moment of realizing what was happening, I was punched in the head and knocked to the ground. I lay on the ground absolutely terrified. I'm not sure if it was the woman or others, but there were a number of people around me trying to wrestle my handbag off my shoulder, actually tried to take my glasses out of my hand.
I went into a fetal position on the pavement. I was screaming for help, literally screaming for help. I was afraid what was coming next so I just put my head in my hands for fear I was going to get kicked in the head and I did manage to dial 999 on my phone and thankfully the guards did arrive and in fairness they took me home.
I don't live in Dublin, I live outside Dublin but they took me the whole way home. They were keen for me to do a statement, but to be honest with you, Ciarán, I was too afraid because my office is right beside where I was assaulted. The people who congregate outside this facility are fairly regular.
So I was afraid that if I did proceed with any statement or investigation that there would be ramifications. But the other thing just to say to your listeners, what really... struck me when I was lying on the ground. I could see black runners very close beside me.
I just kind of looked through my fingers and looked up slightly and there was a man dressed in black holding his phone, recording me as I was lying on the ground and screaming.
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Chapter 4: Why do many victims hesitate to report assaults to the authorities?
Another incident in March of this year, which is kind of in keeping with the figures that have been released today. I was coming back from an International Women's Day event on Harcourt Street, hosted by actually the president of the Law Society, I'm a solicitor, Rosemary Loftus. Lovely evening, great atmosphere, you know, all of that. I decided to walk back to the office again.
Obviously it was dark, came down Camden Street, turned left onto Upper Kevin Street. There was a gentleman, sorry, I won't say a gentleman, a man walking On a bike, I'm not sure if it was an electric bike, but it was a big bike. He was big, all dressed in black, and he was on the footpaths, going at a fairly, you know, going at a pace.
And I kind of looked up and I had to jump to the right, nearly onto the road. Again, I issued a profanity, telling him to get off the footpath, get out of my way. And he stopped dead and spat full on into my face, Karen, full on. I was wearing my glasses and I just remember the saliva dripping down the glasses and onto my cheeks. And I'll never forget that feeling.
Oh, and he finished it off with a F-U-U-C-U-N-T.
Chapter 5: What changes in behavior do women consider for personal safety?
Sorry, Cuiva, he didn't ask for anything?
No, I just remonstrated with him for being on a footpath, on his bicycle, cycling towards me.
And that was his response?
Yep. And I mean, it was, it wasn't like a spit where, you know, you might be clearing your throat or something like that. It was a full on, you know, reached kind of, you know, stretched back and tilted the head on a full on into my face.
Oh, that is disgusting.
So that was reported to the Gardaí in Kevin Street. They did their best to investigate it. And he disappeared up the lane after what he did. The guards did their best, but I couldn't really give a proper description, except that he was a tall man, all dressed in black.
OK, so you were quite literally in those figures then, I quoted to you, if that was the first quarter of this year.
It would appear so, yeah.
But you were, depressingly, Queevy, you were one of 27 that day, and that's 27 reported.
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Chapter 6: How do societal attitudes contribute to violence against women?
I mean, when I saw this report today, I kind of thought to myself, is there an under-reporting? Because the truth is I didn't report the incident last August because I was afraid. Yeah. And this is the problem, you know, that there's just sort of a sense of menace. There's a sense that we can get away with it. There's a sense that there's no recrimination for us. And...
Women, I personally feel I'm not safe walking the streets of Dublin anymore. And I've nearly a full female staff here in the office. And I'm constantly warning them, almost annoying them about when they're walking home from work or they stay on in town or they're going to events or whatever.
So have you changed your patterns of behaviour then since last August?
Absolutely. Well, particularly since March. March was the red line for me. I just said, that's it.
Chapter 7: What challenges do victims face within the justice system?
No more. I'm not walking around on my own anymore.
And I mean, does that mean in winter leaving work earlier? Does it mean different modes of transport?
Yeah. Yeah. Well, it means, you know, if I need if I want to go somewhere, I have to think, OK, I've got to get the car at the car park here. I've got to find car parking wherever I'm going. And there's traffic. OK, these are. You know, they're things you just have to think about. But I am a Dublin girl. I've worked in Dublin all my life.
And I have always felt I can walk the streets of Dublin safely. I know the streets of Dublin to walk them, to drive them.
Chapter 8: What solutions are being proposed to address violence in society?
And, you know, I don't get lost. But in the last maybe three to five years, I just felt an increasing sense of menace.
um i feel you have to sort of almost drink up against the wall you have to be invisible you can't make eye contact you can't be dressed nicely you can't have a nice handbag you know you can't be smoking a cigarette i'm a smoker karen because i will be hounded for a cigarette to the point of being intimidated so you know it's it's it's there and
You know, people object to the use of the phrase toxic masculinity, misogyny. And by the way, misogyny just doesn't apply. You know, women can be women against women as much as men against women. But there is a sense out there of women are, you know, targets and are easier to target and are easier to you know, be successful targets.
But I'm just, maybe fascinated is the wrong word. It kind of implies a degree of wonder, but, you know, morbidly fascinated by how you have to plan, you know, your route to your car even and where that's going to bring you or the different parts of the city you might happen to be in on foot at any given time. When I say morbidly fascinated, questions, Cuiva, I literally never have to ask myself.
Yeah, like, you know, I have said to myself that these incidents have happened. I mean, there have been other incidents as well, but nothing on that scale. And I kind of think to myself, and I hate saying this, Ciarán, if a man was with me, it wouldn't have happened. That's what I feel. And it does, it's very demoralising.
I mean, I'm in my mid-fifties, you know, I work, obviously, I live a lot. Poppy shouldn't be saying that, but anyway, you know, I'm independent and I just don't, I feel that my sense of independence, my confidence in enjoying my city for everything that it has to offer has been completely undermined.
0818715815 is the number of people of their own experience, their own view on this, and they want to get in touch. And Cuiva, stay with us, because I'm sure you'll have something to say to... Natasha O'Brien is with us as well. Natasha, I'll ask you the same question, actually, I asked Cuiva. Were you shocked by those figures, or how do you take them?
Yeah, hello, Ciarán, how are you? Good. Yeah, no, I was... It's really stark.
You know, I was definitely shocked, to say the least, you know, just really disheartened as well, you know, because I've personally put so much work into advocating against violence in society and asking the justice system and the government to act, to put in preventative measures and rehabilitate and, you know, provide substantial rehabilitation and, you know, send...
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