President Catherine Connolly has stressed the need for women and girls in Ireland to live free from violence, coercion, and fear.
The President was addressing the launch of the Women's Aid Centre for Learning and Practice Development, to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The Women's Aid Allies and Informal Supporters programme aims to educate and inform those who want to understand how to safely support someone they know being subjected to coercive control.
Victims of domestic abuse and coercive control using the charity's National Helpline Services and other frontline support services are often feel "disbelieved, silenced, shamed", and in fear of telling someone what is being done to them according to the organisation, because of inconsistent and detrimental responses from professionals and family and friends.
The Centre for Learning and Practice Development seeks to transform how Irish society understands and responds to domestic abuse and coercive control, in line with the Government’s commitment in the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
This morning, President Connolly praised the work of Women’s Aid and other frontline organisations working in the area of Domestic and Gender Based Sexual Violence for decades.
The President acknowledged the significant work that has been done in the area, however, she questioned how it remained an issue for society today.
She said that to prevent gender-based violence, there was a requirement to expose it, to challenge it and to redress the profound harm it causes to lives affected.
Women's Aid has said it’s Centre for Learning and Practice Development will include wide-ranging, domestic violence informed targeted programmes and practice sessions, both online and in person, for employers and professionals in the health, community and voluntary, legal and law enforcement, children and young people sectors and specialist domestic abuse professionals.
