This recording is from the All Island Women’s Forum residential in November 2023.

The Forum is made up of 40 women from across the island who come together to examine issues and areas of commonality North and South and identify key areas that can be addressed on an all-island basis. The AIWF is an inclusive space for women’s voices, including those often left out of the conversation from minority communities.

On 1 November, the Forum members discussed Violence Against Women. On the panel we had:
Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC
Salome Mbugua, researcher, gender equality activist, human right advocate and CEO of AkiDwA -The Migrant Women’s Network Ireland.
Collete O’Regan, Senior Training & Advocacy Manager with LGBT Ireland since 2017.
Ann Friel is the Assistant Project Manager and Primary Healthcare Coordinator of Donegal Travellers Project.
Eileen Weir, Greater North Belfast Women’s Network Co-Ordinator in Shankill Womens Centre

The panel was moderated by Rachel Coyle, Head of Campaigns and Mobilisation at NWC.

Violence against women is a problem in every community and is experienced by women of every class and race. It is a global problem stemming from a system of male dominance and patriarchy. This session was an opportunity for the forum to gain insight into the scale of violence against women on this island and its impacts on different communities.

Globally - according to UN figures - almost one in three women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life – that’s 30 per cent of women aged 15 and older. This figure does not include sexual harassment.

Most violence against women is perpetrated by current or former husbands or intimate partners. More than 26 per cent of women aged 15 and older have been subjected to intimate partner violence.

In Ireland, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic and/or sexual violence. Disabled women and girls face even greater risk of violence, with disability being the second most common risk factor for rape, after gender.

Women from the Traveller and Roma community, migrant communities and disabled women face additional barriers with accessing information, safety, protection and exit routes.

Ending violence against women in all its forms is a core strategic goal of NWC.

The picture right across the island tells a grim tale when we look at the levels of violence against women and in particular the femicides.

The north is one of the most dangerous places in Europe for women when we look at the rate of domestic homicides per capita. We are matched only by Romania.

Despite this grim reality the north is also the only part of the UK or Ireland not to have a strategy for tacking VAW and Girls.