Migrant men and women spoke about domestic violence within their communities in Ireland and sexual violence in worldwide conflicts at a seminar commemorating a worldwide campaign on the issue.
NGOs AkiDwA, Misip and Family Mirror worked together to address awareness of gender-based violence on a local, national and global level at the seminar held in recognition of the 16 Days of Action Opposing Violence Against Women initiative.
The seminar heard that in 2010 there were 13,575 incidents of domestic violence disclosed to the Women’s Aid National Freephone Helpline. But many more cases go unreported, and many women could have reached out to different support services other than Women’s Aid, said Nobuhle Ncube, advocacy and networking co-ordinator for AkiDwA.
Recently the number of migrant women accessing domestic violence support services has increased, she said.
Some of the main points raised at the seminar included engaging with men and all members of the migrant community in the discussion of domestic violence; working with mainstream services; encouraging more positive male role modes; adopting an approach appropriate to the current environment; and the need to reflect on the effects of domestic violence in the community.
Also at the event, Lord Mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague launched a campaign poster on migrant communities opposing domestic violence, while Aisling Swaine, a specialist in violence against women and gender equality issues, was the keynote speaker.
