Sinéad Gibney

The death toll of women killed in violent circumstances in the State was 12 in 2022, the highest figure in a decade, according to charity Safe Ireland.

The Commission has called for urgent action in its submission to the Group of Experts on Action Against Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO).

The introduction of domestic homicide reviews is one of over 100 recommendations the rights body has submitted to the government in advance of GREVIO’s evaluation visit to Ireland later this month.

While the State has commissioned an independent study into familicide and domestic homicide reviews, it has yet to progress legislation in this area despite a commitment in the 2020 programme for government.

The Commission said it is imperative that this legislation is progressed without delay, and that it draws on international best practice. Multi-agency reviews are an important component in prevention and eradicating these crimes, and are used to improve risk assessment and management and to identify gaps in policy and practice, it said.

Chief commissioner Sinéad Gibney said: “Violence against women has reached crisis levels in Ireland.

“The State is obliged to do everything in its power to keep women and girls safe, in our communities and in our homes. This means a zero tolerance culture toward all forms of men’s violence against women, ranging from verbal abuse to domestic homicide.”