MINISTER of State at the Department of Justice and County Limerick TD Niall Collins highlighted the critical role played by workers in frontline services, such as ADAPT House in Limerick, and the role they have in ensuring that when women and families come forward to seek support, they are treated with the highest standard of care, compassion and respect.
The Fianna Fรกil TD made the statement in the Dรกil during statements on domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence.
“It’s 2025 and the major obstacle to achieving gender equality in Europe is violence against women and girls. That cannot be allowed to continue,” Minister Collins said.
“ADAPT Domestic Abuse Services is leading from the front in this regard. ADAPT provides care and safety to vulnerable women and children affected by domestic abuse and, last year, it accommodated 125 families, including 158 children, at its refuge facility in Limerick.
“These figures are stark and underscore the urgency with which we all must act to ensure zero tolerance.”
Minister Collins added that “it’s important to recognise the staff โ both paid and voluntary – who work with ADAPT and other frontline services across the country in often difficult and highly pressurised roles to support those facing some of the most traumatic experiences imaginable”.
“Their knowledge, rooted in years of direct experience, also informs our national strategies and ensures our policies put the experiences of survivors first. They model empathy and understanding in this difficult space that we would all do well to try to replicate.”
