Vigil for Ashling: This must be the watershed moment in ending men’s violence against women

Published: Friday, January 14, 2022

The National Women’s Council (NWC) has said the nationwide outpouring of grief and anger following the killing of Ashling Murphy must be a watershed moment in ending men’s violence against women. This was said in advance of the NWC Rally for Aisling outside the Dail today at 4pm.

Orla O’Connor said,

“In the wake of the senseless killing of Ashling Murphy, women across Ireland have been sharing their stories of abuse and harassment, and how they curtail their lives so that they feel safer. Ultimately, we know there is no behavior change women can make that will keep them safe from men’s violence. So we need to talk about what we can do.”

Orla O’Connor continued,

“Women must be safe in our homes and our communities; we need to end men’s violence against women. At the highest level, this requires real political leadership. We need one Government department with responsibility for ending gender-based violence, with a Minister responsible for violence against women sitting at the Cabinet table. As well as greater supports and resources for women who experience gender-based violence, we must make it easier for women to report domestic and sexual violence.”

“Ultimately though, we need to focus on prevention. Preventing men’s violence against women starts with creating a zero-tolerance culture towards that misogyny and sexism that creates the context in which gender-based violence occurs. This means, for example, funding and resources for programmes in second and third level education. It means policy change in our education system to ensure the casual sexism that girls and women experience is unacceptable. It means zero tolerance toward street harassment, and always toward harassment in the workplace.”

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