Write a comment
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has marked a year of action against gender-based violence with a showcase event that put local organisations and their work front and centre. More than 5,000 people across the district have engaged with programmes delivered under the council's Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) initiative.
Women and Girls (EVAWG) Showcase Event.
The EVAWG programme is a seven-year commitment mandated by the Northern Ireland Executive, aimed at tackling the wide range of gender-based violence, abuse and harm that disproportionately affects women and girls in Northern Ireland. Council received funding from The Executive Office to develop a series of initiatives in support of the Northern Ireland EVAWG Strategic Framework.
Over the past year, £135,000 has been allocated to local voluntary and community organisations through the council's EVAWG Change Fund. The funding has supported projects focused on challenging the attitudes, behaviours and cultures that cause violence against women and girls, promoting education on healthy and respectful relationships, and helping women and girls to feel and be safe everywhere.
front centre, with Council chief executive Marie Ward, front, third left, and Active and
Healthy Communities Director Andy Patterson, back right, with elected r
epresentatives at the recent Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)
Showcase Event at the Canal Court Hotel in Newry.
Beyond the Change Fund, council activity across the district has included stakeholder conferences, youth engagement events, training for local practitioners in bystander intervention, awareness-raising video campaigns and creative arts initiatives.
The recent Showcase Event gave representatives from a range of local groups and organisations the opportunity to present their work, share best practice and take part in panel discussions on collective action and the approaches that are driving meaningful change across the Newry, Mourne and Down area.
Opening the event, council Chairperson Councillor Philip Campbell said, "Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls is a long-term commitment. It requires partnership across all sectors. It requires courage to challenge harmful attitudes.
Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Showcase Event at the Canal Court
Hotel in Newry. Included from left: Edwina Flynn, Wood Innovations Chief Executive
Officer; Wayne Morris, Education Authority Youth Worker; Allison Slater, Head of
Operations Bolster Community; Gerry Flynn, Carrickcruppen GAA Chairperson and
Cormac McKinney, Principal, St. Colman's College, Newry.
"It requires conversations in our homes, our schools, our workplaces and our communities. Our Council is proud to support initiatives that form part of the wider movement to End Violence Against Women and Girls."
For more information, visit the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls page at www.newrymournedown.org
