Almost 40 Irish female artists have recorded a song to raise funds for an organisation which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse.
There has been a 25% rise in domestic violence calls to gardaí since the start of the pandemic.
All money raised from Irish Women in Harmony's cover of 'Dreams' by 'The Cranberries' will go to Safe Ireland.
Safe Ireland said services are experiencing an increase in calls and needs, particularly for women with multiple children. It is concerned about the double damage that lockdown, alongside abuse, may have had.
Over 40 Irish female artists have recorded a song to raise funds for an organisation which supports women and children affected by domestic abuse. All money raised from the single 'Dreams' will go to Safe Ireland pic.twitter.com/YeHKcJvqR3
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) June 18, 2020
A refuge which is one of 39 Safe Ireland services around the country says that it has seen a rise of 50% in calls to its helpline.
CEO of Aoibhneas, Emma Reidy, said it has seen some cases where women have been experiencing psychological or verbal abuse which may have been happening for more than 20 years.
Due to what she described as the sort of entrapment that women have experienced during the last few months, they are now realising they can't take it much more and are looking for help, Ms Reidy explained.
At the same as the refuge has seen an increase in demand, it also had to reduce capacity because of current restrictions. Ms Reidy said this meant it had to source rental accommodation and open up a new facility.
CEO of Safe Ireland Sharon O'Halloran said that the funding generated by the release of this single from will go directly to women and children through its services.
Grammy nominated singer/songwriter and producer RuthAnne came up with the initiative.
She said they wanted to come together to raise awareness and funds for a charity close to their hearts. She said having women supporting women is exactly what is needed, and hopes it will inspire others.
Singer and musician Caroline Corr said she wanted to get involved because it was in aid of Safe Ireland.
Anyone who is in a domestic abuse situation and then is forced to lockdown, it can be a very dangerous situation, she added.
She said this is something that has been on her mind and she hopes donations produced by the single will help those who are in bad situations.
She also wanted to get involved in working with all the talented Irish artists, she explained.
People can access the release on all streaming platforms from this evening and can donate directly to Safe Ireland.
