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From Mary T Cleary OLIVE BRAIDEN is quoted by Michael Clifford (Tribune Review, 9 April) as saying that "in terms of women alleging domestic violence falsely, I just don't believe any of it." So, from Ms Braiden's viewpoint, if a woman makes an allegation of violence against a man he should be automatically deemed guilty. Unfortunately, that anti-man mindset is shared by many district court judges.
In actual fact, allegations of domestic violence are now commonly used as a tactic by women in family law cases.
Another quote in the article shows how deeply entrenched her sexism is. In a reference to her candidature for the European Parliament, she said "I didn't see myself running for Fianna Fáil. I saw it as running for women." What is deeply worrying is the fact that Ms Braiden has been appointed by the Minister for Justice as the representative of consumers on the Board of the Court Service.
Appointing such a person to act as consumer representative on this board is an affront to men, who comprise a considerable proportion of consumers of the court services.
In 1999, Amen wrote to the then minister for justice, John O'Donoghue, stating that "allowing women's groups to monopolise consumer representation is a denial of adequate representation for the consumer." Given that, seven years later, this warped view of consumer representation persists in the Department of Justice, no man can have any confidence in the Board of the Court Service, because men, as consumers, are not represented.
Mary T Cleary, Co-ordinator Amen, St Anne's Resource Centre, Navan, Co Meath.
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YOU ARE HERE: 19 March 2007 / tribune.ie / 2006 / 04 / 16
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