‘STEP OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Let your influence be seen.’

In 2007 we, at Aoibhneas Women & Children’s Refuge, initiated an emailing campaign emphasising the effects of Domestic Violence on children with ‘16 Days/ 16 nursery Rhymes’.

In 2008 our campaign was entitled ’16 Days/16 Scenarios: These are People ... Not Just Statistics!’ For 2009, with the media panicking about the downturn in the economy and spouting doom and gloom about the future of Ireland, we have decided to look at just that.

One reality is that some of us never even caught a glimpse of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ while others ran around in circles, the focus on being ‘Upwardly Mobile’, collecting ‘Property Portfolios’ and knowing which bank would give the greatest return on our ‘Savings’.

NOW...maybe we all need to take stock of our lives, our families our society, and ourselves! So do you consider yourself to be a good neighbour, a good citizen, a good friend, a kind and empathic human being? Do you deem yourself to be a just legislator/ politician /policy maker? Do you regard yourself as ethical in your professional standards? There is something intrinsically wrong with a society that accepts Violence Against Women and Children as a norm. There is something sick about a culture that tolerates Domestic Violence and expects the VICTIM to deal with the PERPETRATOR.

We as a nation are only as strong as our weakest link and maybe it is time to bear this in mind. This year our emailing campaign is inviting the citizens of Ireland to.....

‘STEP OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Let your influence be seen.’

Copyright Aoibhneas, Women and Children's Refuge, Coolock