Thread by @ireland

One of the pieces of work that I am most proud of is also the most difficult to work on. It's the @Womens_Aid #Femicide Watch. For over 20 years we've charted the violent killing of women in Ireland. For just over 10 years, this has been my responsibility.

The file started in 1996, a year of unprecedented female homicide, with 19 women killed. Since then we have recorded 216 violent deaths of women with 16 children being killed alongside their mothers. There is a tendency to look at cases as isolated incidents. #Femicide

But what our #Femicide Watch allows us to do is to illustrate links between domestic violence & homicide and the danger posed to women. We can learn from these absolute tragedies about what needs to happen to better protect women and children & prevent the future deaths.

As it stands, we know a current or former male intimate partner kills one in every two women murdered in Ireland. And 88% of victims knew their killer. This cannot remain an accepted ‘fact of life’ for women. #Femicide

Each case stays with me. Each beautiful picture shared with the media of the woman, every eulogy, details laid bare in the criminal or coroner's courts, the words of grieving loved ones and shocked communities left to deal with trauma, impact and aftermath of homicide. #Femicide.

Some further sobering facts from our #femicide watch: 63% of women have been killed in their own homes. 49% of victims are aged 35 or under. On average, current or ex intimate partners convicted of manslaughter get 2.8 years less than other men convicted of manslaughter of women.

After recording #Femicide for a decade, this much I know: As 1 in every 2 women murdered in Ireland are killed by a man with whom they had a current or former intimate relationship, the ‘once off’ incident narrative must be challenged.

There is a tendency to report on murder-suicide cases solely as a mental health
story. However, in 21 of the 22 murder-suicide cases where a woman has been murdered, the killer has been her partner or ex. Domestic violence is a factor.

The victim’s voice is often lost in the reporting of the incident and of any
subsequent court case. The story reported is usually the story the perpetrator
presents in defence.

There is a hierarchy of victims & the amount of media coverage given to cases is often based on socio-economic background of the woman & perpetrator, the age of the victim, the part of the country it happened or where the details of the killing lends itself to salacious reporting

Everyday on the Women’s Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline we hear from women who live on a knife edge of fear and it would be wrong to underestimate the scale and impact of violence against women. So, when women tell us their abuser has threatened to kill her we believe her.

Each woman murdered is an outrage. An absolute tragic loss of life and potential
resulting in utter heartache for her loved ones left behind. At the front of my mind always is the woman, her family & community as well as all the other names yet to be recorded. #Femicide

By painting this picture we help push for increased understanding and recognition of risk factors and we also help families and loved ones push for the justice and improved care for the trauma they have endured. That is what makes such harrowing work worthwhile. #Femicide

If you'd like to read the full #Femicide report and other information from last November's report launch, it's all here - womensaid.ie/about/newseven…