Femicide Rockets While The Government Sleeps
Following the murder of yet another woman in her home, a call has been made for communities to organise walks and protests on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Ruth Coppinger, a former TD and activist with ROSA, the socialist feminist group, says:
"My heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the woman murdered in her own home in Charlestown, Dublin.
Yet another femicide has taken place and a record number on the island as a whole since the pandemic.
The UN has called gender based violence a ‘shadow pandemic’ but the government is acting like business as usual on the issue, continuing to starve frontline groups and refuges of the funds they need and neglecting to implement education programmes on gender violence in schools, workplaces and communities.
In Dublin West, directly adjacent to Charlestown, local activists had already advertised ‘Walks With Women’ in Ashtown and Hartstown, to demand emergency action on this issue.
These will take place that evening but I appeal to other communities now to do the same and to build a movement.
It seems that without people power pressure, governments do nothing.
The refuge in Blanchardstown turned away 500 women a year before Covid the demand rocketed during lockdown with 19 new women contacting agencies every single day for help.
The Dublin rape crisis Centre had a tripling of demand but a shortfall of €1million.
Young women fear taking public transport of being spiked in night clubs.
We are hearing nothing but platitudes from government.
This isn’t on their radar.
“There are numerous ministers including a Tanaiste in the region this woman was murdered, but what are they doing about the shadow pandemic and femicide?
We have a culture and society which normalises violence against women, which objectifies women and encourages a macho culture and which also allows victims blaming in the courts and media. Capitalism is facilitating misogyny and sexism in every way.
Transgender and non-binary people also constantly fear harassment.
Communities organising walks on the evening of the 25th would be powerful symbolism and pressurise the powers that be to act to fund services and to move on education throughout society."
