Amber Kilkenny Women's Refuge are participating in the 16 days of action to raise awareness around domestic violence

Amber Kilkenny Women’s Refuge are participating in the International 16 Days of Action which begins this Sunday.
To mark the 16 days Amber are collaborating with family resource centres in Kilkenny to deliver a number of talks on domestic abuse, with a focus on raising awareness about domestic abuse and how to help someone experiencing domestic abuse. The workshops are free of charge, no booking is necessary and everyone is welcome to attend.
A workshop will take place at the Droichead Family Resource Centre at the old CBS school in West Street, Callan from 10.30am to 12.30 Thursday, November 22 and at the Newpark Family Bagenelstown Resource Centre on Wednesday, November 28 from 11.30 to 12.30. Another workshop will also take place at Bagenalstown Family Resource Centre on November 28 from 10.30 to 12.30.

The international 16 Days of Action runs between two significant UN days of human rights awareness raising. It starts on Sunday,November 25, UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends 16 days later on Monday, December 10, International Human Rights Day.

Other significant dates include November 29 which is International Human Rights Defenders day,  World Aids Day (December 1), International Day for the Abolition of Slavery (December 2), International Day of Disabled Persons (December 3), International Volunteer day for Social and Economic Development (December 4) and the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (December 6).

Since 1996, 225 women have died violently in Ireland. 137 women have been killed in their homes in Ireland and nine out of ten women knew their killer and over half were killed by a current or former boyfriend partner or husband. (Dublin Women’s Aid).

The 16 Days shines a spotlight on the issues of violence against women, to break the silence, and focus on highlighting the issues for women, and raise awareness of services available to women. we can create public awareness globally, nationally and locally, in our own communities. It is vital that all countries make the world safe for females and free from violence, where we protect women and hold perpetrators accountable and stop blaming victims. Dublin Women’s Aid hold a campaign each year, this year the theme is about ‘Changing the Conversation’, moving away from victim-blaming and ‘Breaking the pattern of male violence’.