Final Day of the 16 Days Campaign in Ireland

Today is International Human Rights Day and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Throughout the 16 Days of Action Women's Aid has run our 'Home Truths: Think Women's Human Rights - Think Home' campaign. This theme was designed to highlight the fact that home is a place for 1 in 5 Irish women where their human rights are violated. Home, for most of us, is a place of love, respect and safety - a sanctuary from the stresses and trials of every day life. However, for an estimated 213,000 women in Ireland, home is a place where they experience severe abuse, injury, fear and terror.

Article 5 of the UDHR affirms that 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.' However, this basic human right is not realised for the many women in Irish society who experience physical, emotional and sexual abuse at the hands closest to them - their partners or ex-partners. Our series of actions were designed to highlight the truth about home for 1 in 5 Irish women.


The 16 Days campaign was hugely successful and as you can see from all the other blog posts, scores of organisations and individuals took part in the campaign to call for an end to violence against women. Some adopted the Women's Aid theme others chose a specific theme for their own campaign.

Women's Aid would like to thank everyone who supported the campaign.