Cavan-Monaghan marks 16 days with memorial garden
SAFE Ireland Cavan-Monaghan marked this year’s UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence by dedicating two memorial gardens to Irish women who have died by femicide.
The UN’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that runs from November 25 to December 10, aiming to raise awareness and mobilise action to end violence against women and girls.
It starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and concludes on International Human Rights Day.
The theme for this year’s campaign is “UNiTE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls” which focuses on technology facilitated abuse.
According to experts, tech-abuse is a vicious weapon of coercive control in most perpetrators’ arsenal. In 2024 in Ireland, 53,441 tech-abuse reports were made to Hotline.ie – an increase of 32% on the previous year.
Safe Ireland is also running a second campaign at community level in Cavan, Monaghan and Mayo during this year’s 16 days.
Safe Ireland Frontline staff and community allies have created two Memorial Gardens dedicated to the 276 women who died by femicide since 1996.
The memorial garden for this region is a butterfly installation at the Cavan-Monaghan Peace Campus in Monaghan Town, which was launched at the weekend.
“The image and metaphor is one of transformative process, with 276 individual free-standing butterfly pieces honouring each woman’s short-cut life and marking the possibility that the future will not repeat the past,” a spokesperson for Safe Ireland said..
Speaking ahead of the launches, CEO of Safe Ireland, Mary McDermott, said: “Sex, gender and sexuality-based violence and control is an ancient pattern of subjection. We recognise these patterns and understand that perpetrators will weaponise anything to retain control – especially available escape routes.
“Community-based specialist Domestic Violence Services offer cocoon, safe spaces to name and manage harsh truths, transform, access community and live free again. We are hopeful, skilled and resilient.”
The Mayo memorial garden will be officially opened at Safe Ireland’s Refuge and Support Services on December 9.