International Women’s Day 2018

Published: Friday, April 06, 2018

(Pictured above: members of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment and the NWCI at the 'Votes for Repeal' march)

There were many amazing events taking place all over the country this year to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), and NWCI was delighted to be a part of some of them.

Carlow Women’s Network organised a whole day of events for women to mark IWD in Carlow College. There were exhibitions, a school art competition, Zumba and mindfulness workshops, with talks from Mary White, Former Minister of State for Equality, Human Rights and Integration; Catherine Lane, NWCI’s Women and Local Government and Development Officer; and Avril Bailey, Psychotherapist with Dublin Human Givens Centre. Lots of local organisations were there on the day to talk to women about a range of topics, including: women’s health, courses available in their area, and ways to get involved in the community.

(Pictured above: Carlow Women's Network)

Kilkenny Together For Yes participated in a lunchtime march to support the campaign to remove the Eighth Amendment from the constitution, and invited Michi Hyams, Leadership and Pubic Engagement Officer with NWCI, to hold an information session on The Constitution, the Eighth Amendment and abortion law in Ireland. Members of the community in Kilkenny came together to learn more about the upcoming referendum and the facts about the debate.

(Pictured above: Kilkenny Together for Yes)

Laura Harmon, NWCI’s Leadership Coordinator, was invited to Accenture and Bristol Myers Squib to discuss Women in Leadership and Women’s Equality in Ireland today. These talks highlighted the need for all organisations to understand the importance of supporting women in leadership positions and how they can work as leaders to ensure women’s equality in the workplace.

NWCI also joined with the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment and thousands of supporters in a “Votes for Repeal” march (pictured at the top), from the Garden of Remembrance to the Custom House. To commemorate the Centenary of Irish Women getting the vote, campaigners called for the women living in Ireland to be able to make decisions about their own healthcare. This was a hugely positive event and the numbers reflected how broad the support is for removing the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution.

(Pictured above: a view of the crowd at the Customs House)

SIPTU held an event after the march, confirming their support for the campaign. Laura Harmon and Sarah Clarkin, Comunication Officer with NWCI, attended the event and spoke to atttendees about NWCI's Every Woman Model - accessible, affordable healthcare options for all women and girls (pictured below).