Survivor engagement can significantly improve policies in tackling violence against women. In Ireland, too often this has happened in an ad hoc way through survivors sharing personal, painful experiences and losses, which can be very traumatising.
The National Observatory on Violence against Women, convened by the National Women’s Council commissioned and published a report which outlines a framework for engaging with survivors of different forms of gender-based violence in a structured and safe way.
One of the central recommendations of the report is the establishment of a survivor-led Lived Experience Advisory Council which should reflect a breadth of perspectives and experiences. The report recommends using an open call to ensure that women with different lived experiences of violence, women from diverse and underrepresented groups, such as Traveller, Roma, LGBTQ+, and migrant women, and family members of women killed are all represented.
This research was commissioned by Community Foundation Ireland and Cuan, the national Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency, to look at how survivors’ experiences could be embedded into the government response.
Read the full report, here.
