End Gender Based Violence Public Zoom Meeting: Tues 25Th @7Pm

End Gender Based Violence Public Zoom Meeting: Tues 25Th @7Pm

The brutal murder of Ashling Murphy cast a renewed light on gender-based violence and started conversations about the violence women in all walks of life incur – including sex workers and vulnerable women.

The sexism and misogyny that pervades our society does not come from nowhere – it starts at the top – in our laws and our institutions – and it filters down into our media, culture and our daily lives. 
We need to separate Church & State to ensure comprehensive consent-focused Sex Education in schools. Right-wing parties have also consistently failed to allocate adequate funding to frontline services.

**We need a people power movement like Repeal to fight for a better world.

TO END GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE WE ARE CALLING FOR:

MORE WOMEN’S REFUGES**

  • Ireland signed up to the Istanbul Convention in 2015. Adherence to that convention would mean we should have 472 refuge places across the country. We only have 143.
  • Nine counties in Ireland have no dedicated refuge.
  • There were unmet requests for refuge from 1,351 women between March and August 2020.

ADEQUATE FUNDING FOR FRONT LINE SERVICES

  • Ireland needs an increase of €33.1 million to provide the 331 refuge spaces needed.
  • In ten years, there has been a 100% increase to Rape Crisis Centre helplines & a 63% increase in appointments. Massive underfunding of these centres is leading to an inability to recruit and retain counsellors resulting in long waiting lists for survivors.

SMASH SEXISM IN THE COURTS

  • In Ireland 90% of Rapes are unreported. Only 14% of cases reported actually go to trial.
  • Of the cases that do go to trial, many victims experience routine ‘Victim Blaming’. It is still considered a legitimate line of defence to question a victim’s sexual history, what they were wearing or how much they drank.
  • It is legal for a victim’s private counselling notes to be used in a court case. No other crime permits therapy notes to be used against a witness.
  • There are huge delays in getting to Court. For most cases it can take anything up to three or four years.

OBJECTIVE SEX EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

  • Consent focused
  • Should include modules on gender and recognising sexism in media and in culture.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUPPORTS FOR FAMILIES

  • Build social and affordable housing – the housing crisis is keeping victims of domestic violence trapped with their abusers.
  • Universally available childcare
  • Properly resourced mental health services and supports
  • Paid domestic violence leave

SEPARATE CHURCH AND STATE

  • Religious institutions should have no involvement in the running of schools, hospitals, or any other public institutions.

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83476979113