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Press release
Government’s commitment to tackling DSGBV reflected in Cuan’s 2025 Annual Report
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- Last updated on:
• Increased access to safe accommodation for women and families in crisis situations throughout the country
• Increased funding for service provision providing invaluable counselling, helplines and other critical supports for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence
22 July 2026
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, Jim O’Callaghan, has today welcomed the publication of the 2025 Annual Report of Cuan, the national domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) agency.
Cuan’s 2025 annual report details the comprehensive steps taken during the agency's first full year operating under its 2025–2027 Corporate Plan which marked the accomplishment of several high-impact, measurable initiatives. The milestones documented within the review reflect the scope and depth of progress made.
Minister Jim O’Callaghan said:
“2025 saw major progress in Cuan establishing itself as Ireland’s national statutory agency to coordinate the Government’s response to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. I want to acknowledge the commitment and professionalism of the staff and Board of Cuan for their tireless work and dedication that is evident throughout the annual report.
“Domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a scourge in our society and confronting it remains a key priority for me. The completion last week in the Oireachtas of a suite of transformative new laws, including Jennie’s Law, Valerie’s Law, reforms to the disclosure of counselling records and measures to prohibit seeking sex in lieu of rent, demonstrates my determination to strengthen protections for victims, improve access to justice and ensure perpetrators are held to account.
“Together with the work being delivered by Cuan and its partners, these reforms are helping to keep a spotlight on these most heinous crimes which predominantly impact women and children.
“The critical milestones achieved in 2025 include the investment of €58.4 million in funding directed to service providers supporting 33,564 service users nationwide. These services include specially trained staff and volunteers who can provide a listening ear and practical information to a survivor of domestic or sexual violence who is in a traumatic situation and thinks they have no options left.”
CEO of Cuan, Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe said:
“In 2025, Cuan moved decisively from establishment to delivery, and that transition is evident throughout this report. 2025 was a year of consolidation, expanding capacity and demonstrating results.
“Cuan has been particularly focused on delivery of safe accommodation capacity for victims and survivors of domestic violence. Refuge units and safe homes provide a vital place of safety for families in crisis. We are determined to continue to establish units across the country to ensure that those supports are available when they are most needed.
“None of the progress documented in this report would have been possible without the sustained commitment of Cuan’s staff and Board, and the support and partnership of our departmental colleagues and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.”
Chair of Cuan’s Board Professor Emerita Caroline Fennell added:
“Cuan’s Annual Report 2025 is a detailed record of what Cuan has delivered in 2025, including coordinating the implementation of Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV. That strategy has provided a framework for accountability and coordination that has driven action, improvement, and progress. As it draws to a close, the Cuan Board is aware that the development of its successor strategy becomes one of the most important policy processes in this field for a generation.
“The fourth national strategy will be led by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and will be a whole-of government strategy, not simply in name but in substance. DSGBV intersects with housing, health, education, social protection and justice in ways that no single Department is equipped to address alone.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
The Cuan Annual Report 2025 is available below.
Key Milestones documented in Cuan’s 2025 Annual Report
Coordinating National Strategy and Whole-of-Government Action
- Zero Tolerance 2025–2026 Implementation Plan published with key performance indicators for each action for the first time, to support accountability and oversight.
- Two national Zero Tolerance Progress Reports published, covering mid-year 2024 progress and implementation from July–December 2024.
- Cuan produced a Partnership Development Strategy in 2025, a framework for deepening existing relationships and establishing new ones across every sector of Irish society.
Expanding and Strengthening Services and Supports
- Services dedicated to supporting victims and survivors of sexual violence have grown significantly in recent years.
- In 2025, €58.4 million in public funding was directed to 78 service providers nationwide, an increase of €7 million on the previous year, reflecting continued Government investment in the sector. A portion of that increase enabled €3.2 million to be allocated through an Open Funding Call. In total, Cuan’s budget for service provision across the country has increased by 32% from 2024 to 2026.
- Following Cuan's Open Funding Call, expanded provision of counselling for adolescents is now available across Cuan-funded sexual violence services, ensuring that young people who need specialist support can access it.
- In 2025, the 78 Cuan-funded organisations collectively provided essential supports to 33,564 service users, reflecting both rising demand and the sector’s growing capacity to respond. These service users comprised of 29,408 adults, 1,229 adolescents and 2,927 children and adolescents, representing an increase of 14% on 2024.
- At the outset of the Strategy in 2022, Ireland had 141 refuge units and 49 Safe Homes. By the end of 2025, refuge capacity had increased to 172 units and Safe Home provision to 60 units.
- Developing safe accommodation – whether refuge units or safe homes – involves complex multi-agency and multi stakeholder work. Over 2025 Cuan put in place a very strong delivery pipeline, providing support at each site to quicken the pace of delivery. Cuan fine-tuned its coordination of this work through the establishment of local multi-agency stakeholder groups to streamline collaboration across the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage; the Housing Agency, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, funded services, Approved Housing Bodies and Local Authorities.
Prevention, Consent and Public Awareness
- The running of four major national level public awareness campaigns throughout 2025, was central to progress made in Cuan’s remit to challenge the social and cultural norms that contribute to DSGBV. Independent evaluation carried out during the year proved that significant, real-world impact was achieved in reaching these goals. For example, more people (78%) are now talking about consent with their partners than did so before the launch of the Let’s Have the Consent Campaign 64%. Even larger increases were shown in the campaigns target groups such as men (+18%), Gen X (+19%) and Baby Boomers (+18%). People who are aware of the Always Here website, are more aware of what supports are available to victims/survivors than compared to the general population
- Cuan rolled out two brand new public awareness campaigns – ‘Hardest Stories’ and ‘You are not Alone’ – the first large-scale campaigns to be fully conceived, developed and delivered by the Agency. Designed to raise awareness of DSGBV, empower victim-survivors to tell their stories and signpost the services available. These campaigns have achieved extensive national reach and impact, with evaluation results showing extremely high levels of campaign recall, positive reception of the campaigns as being both ‘sensitive’ and ‘informative’, as well as excellent performance against the campaigns’ ‘acceptability’, ‘potential to act’, and ‘support signposting’ KPIs.
Consent and Education
- Cuan grew and expanded its flagship ‘Consent Ed’ education project which has seen over 1000 educators and professionals trained in consent and healthy relationships facilitation. Consent Ed develops fact-based and age-appropriate educational materials for young people that support them to have happy, healthy relationships as they grow. Over the course of 2025 Consent Ed is estimated to have reached over 80,000 students through delivery in schools.
Strengthening Governance and Organisational Foundations
- Cuan’s Governance Framework and Risk Management Framework were approved by the Board.
- Formal oversight structures were embedded to support accountability and stewardship of public funds, including the implementation a three-year internal audit plan, covering Cuan operations and funded services.
Building Evidence-Informed Delivery
- Three national research outputs delivered, including publication of Measuring the Prevalence of Adult Sexual Violence: A Review of Irish and International Literature under the Cuan–ESRI Joint Research Programme.
- Strategic research partnerships expanded, including a formal joint research programme with the ESRI and new funding partnerships with Research Ireland, CSO and the DPP.