Those involved with a local women’s refuge say they have seen an increase in contacts as a result of two soap opera storylines.
A character in EastEnders was murdered by her abusive husband on Monday evening, after a storyline which had been running for months.
A similar plot was also shown on Coronation Street recently and Geraldine Mullane of Cuan Saor in Clonmel says it’s always good to bring the realities of domestic violence to people’s attention.
She says these storylines generally result in more women contacting them:
“Absolutely. We had a couple of cases last week with very similar situations and it’s only when I realised that this was happening in Eastenders – because I did watch an episode yesterday just to bring me up to speed – that I realised how similar actually some of the cases were.”
Geraldine also says she thinks it’s necessary to show people the reality of what can happen in these situations:
“We know from EastEnders that murder was the end result, and we know from cases in Ireland that murder has been the end result. And that is very hard for us to hear.
“… So, especially for women who may be in domestic violence situations, they may very, very much be in the same kind of situation as the one that has been portrayed in EastEnders and in Coronation Street.
“Maybe it will be the [catalyst] for her to make that phonecall, or maybe it will be a family member that will now open up and ask her.”
