Ireland has approved landmark legislation to create the country’s first public register of domestic violence offenders. The online register, known as Jennie’s Law, will publish the names of those convicted of serious domestic abuse offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and non-fatal strangulation.

Background

The legislation was passed in the Dáil, or Irish parliament, following years of campaigning by the family of Jennifer Poole, a 24-year-old mother-of-two who was murdered by her former partner in April 2021. Poole did not know her partner had a history of abusive behavior, including a conviction for assaulting a former partner.

The published names will contain details of the conviction and sentence and will be hosted on the Irish Courts Service website. Offenders will be able to apply for removal no earlier than three years after conviction, according to the legislation.

Impact

Lawmakers gave a standing ovation to the Poole family, who were present as the legislation passed. The new Irish register appears to make the country an outlier across Europe, as other countries have different approaches to addressing domestic violence.

In the United Kingdom, for example, Clare’s Law allows people to ask the police about a person’s history of abuse or violence, but not everyone is entitled to receive the information. Critics of the UK system argue that it is plagued by long backlogs and highly inconsistent approval rates across different police forces.

Ireland’s legislation comes at a time of heightened urgency around the issue of femicide. Last week, Women’s Aid Ireland reported that eight women have died violently so far this year, already overtaking the whole of 2025.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.