Helen McEntee

Cuan, an Irish work meaning a safe haven, harbour or place of shelter, has been chosen as the “working name” of the new agency, which was established with the commencement of the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Act from 1 January.

Among its first priorities will be leading a government plan to double the number of refuge spaces in the State.

Justice minister Helen McEntee said: “This is a hugely significant moment in our efforts to tackle all forms of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and the realisation of a key priority in Zero Tolerance, our strategy to combat these heinous crimes.

“Both the DSGBV sector and the government have accepted that the State needs to intensify and better integrate its response across all relevant areas — from policy coordination to strategy, from research to education and raising awareness — to help ensure victims of DSGBV have access to services of a consistently high standard.

“These responsibilities and more will be the focus of the work done at Cuan in the months and years ahead, with the core functions identified by the DSGBV sector as part of the co-design process.

“The establishment of Cuan today is a crucial step in our plan for zero tolerance of domestic, sexual and gender based violence in Ireland, and I want to thank everyone who has helped bring is to this point.

“I would like to everyone in the sector, including NGO and domestic violence services, who have worked with us to establish Cuan.”