IRELAND speaks much more openly now about coercive control and domestic abuse than it once did.
Yet some of the most difficult experiences described by survivors continue to happen behind closed doors, within systems few people ever see unless they work in, or have encountered, them personally.
One of those systems is family law. While it’s designed to deal with deeply personal matters involving relationships, children and safety, campaigners argue it has not caught up with what’s now understood about abuse after separation.
That’s the issue at the heart of Right to Transparency, a new campaign calling for significant reform of Ireland’s family courts. Its central argument is that for many women and children, the danger does not end when a relationship does.
Last year in Donegal, Gardaí responded to more than 2,000 domestic abuse incidents, representing a 51 per cent increase on the previous figure.
Nationally, safety and barring orders have risen sharply over recent years, while women’s support organisations continue to report increasing levels of coercive control, stalking, intimidation and post-separation abuse.
Some of that reflects how public understanding of domestic abuse has evolved. Coercive control only became a criminal offence in Ireland in 2019, yet the language around it is now more widely recognised.
People increasingly understand that abuse is not always physical and can involve intimidation, isolation, surveillance, humiliation, and financial restriction. There’s also greater awareness of how subtle, cumulative and deeply psychological it can be.
But campaigners behind Right to Transparency argue that while public awareness has moved on, some systems have not kept pace.
They say many women encounter a family law process that still struggles to fully recognise coercive control, while Women’s Aid has reported increasing disclosures from women who say abuse continued through legal disputes and access arrangements after separation.
Judges deal daily with some of the most emotionally charged situations imaginable, often involving competing rights and the welfare of children.
In interviews published recently in this newspaper following reports on rising domestic abuse figures in Donegal, women described feeling overwhelmed by trauma and abandoned after escaping abusive relationships.
It is against that backdrop that Right to Transparency is calling for reform. Its concerns include the use of court-appointed assessments, how abuse allegations are handled, and the in-camera rule, which means family law proceedings are heard in private and generally cannot be publicly discussed.
Such privacy protections exist for important reasons, particularly where children are concerned, and few people would argue against protecting children’s identities or shielding families from unnecessary exposure.
But campaigners for change argue the current balance can also leave survivors feeling silenced and isolated, while limiting public scrutiny of how decisions are made.
Indeed, the conversations around privacy rules are not unique to Ireland. In England and Wales, a family court reporting pilot introduced in 2023 allows accredited journalists and legal bloggers to report on cases under strict anonymity rules, reflecting a growing debate around whether greater transparency is possible without compromising privacy.
For campaigners here, changes in England and Wales are important because they are providing clarity around claims that secrecy makes it harder to identify patterns.
If women cannot speak about what happens in court, even in general terms, concerns about how abuse is treated there can remain largely hidden.
None of this is to suggest family law is straightforward. Judges deal daily with some of the most emotionally charged situations imaginable, often involving competing rights and the welfare of children.
Nor should allegations be accepted without scrutiny or due process.
But neither should we assume that because coercive control is now recognised socially and as a criminal offence, institutions have fully adapted to understanding its long-term effects.
To illustrate this point, campaigners say incidents recognised as abuse in criminal law can seem to carry less weight once the same family enters family court, where discussions move towards contact, access and a child’s relationship with both parents.
Perhaps that’s why campaigns like Right to Transparency are beginning to resonate beyond legal circles.
They reflect a growing belief among some survivors and campaigners that while family law is intended to protect vulnerable families,
aspects of the system can deepen conflict and prolong trauma after separation.
At the same time, pressure for reform is no longer confined to private conversations or support groups. Rather, people are speaking more openly about their lived experiences and campaigners are pushing harder for change.
Because for many women and children, leaving is not always the end of the story.
The Fresh Take column is written by Sabrina Sweeney and features every Thursday in the Donegal News.