The husband of an Irishwoman who was murdered in Australia two years ago is urging people to break the silence on violence against women.
Today is White Ribbon Day, held to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
Tom Meagher, whose wife Jill Meagher was murdered in Melbourne in 2012, is an advocate for the White Ribbon campaign - the world's largest male-led movement to end violence against women.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Edition, he said violence against women was couched in ideas of male dominance.
He said the murder of his wife was at the extreme end of the scale of violence.
Mr Meagher said psychological violence and other types of domestic violence could be torturous for the women involved.
He said these acts were an every-day breaking down of women's autonomy and free will.
"There is a certain way we look at certain women, or crimes that are committed in a private space rather than a public space," he said.
"I think often when we highlight extremes like Bayley [the man who killed Jill Meagher] we often obscure the rest of the scale of violence against women.
"Part of what I do is try and highlight those social issues that we don't address and try and break the silence around it."
Men and women around the world are being asked to wear a symbolic white ribbon and say no to violence against women as part of the campaign.
Violence against women is a serious problem in Ireland. Research by Women's Aid shows that one in five women who have been in a relationship have been abused by a current or former partner.
COSC figures show that 42% of Irish women have experienced some form of sexual abuse or assault in their lifetime.
According to CSO statistics, there were 451 reported rapes in Ireland in 2013.
At EU House in Dublin this morning, more than 75 men and women from the worlds of sport, business, and politics joined forces at a reception to mark White Ribbon Day.
Launched by Minister for Equality Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and hosted by broadcaster Miriam O'Callaghan, the event marked the beginning of White Ribbon’s 16 Days of Activism Campaign across the country.
Elsewhere, MAN UP, an Irish-created campaign to highlight the positive role that men can play in ending violence against women, has been adapted, translated and was announced in Sweden today.
The Swedish roll-out is the first country "syndication" of MAN UP, which was initiated by SAFE Ireland last month.
Readers affected by these issues can contact Women's Aid on 1800 341 900 or via helpline@womensaid.ie
