Showcase Event Highlights Innovative Projects Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls

A Showcase Event recently brought together changemakers, community leaders and practitioners to spotlight a range of impactful projects dedicated to ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) across the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.

The event provided a platform for local organisations to present their work, share best practices and foster collaboration across sectors.

EVAWG is a seven-year programme mandated by the Northern Ireland Executive and aims to address a wide range of gender-based violence, abuse and harm which are disproportionately experienced by women and girls. 

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has received funding from The Executive Office to develop a series of initiatives to support the delivery of the Northern Ireland EVAWG Strategic Framework.

Over the last year, £135,000 has been allocated to local voluntary and community organisations through the Council’s EVAWG Change Fund, with the funding supporting projects focused on key prevention outcomes, including 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.

Other Council initiatives have included stakeholder conferences, youth engagement events, training for local practitioners in bystander intervention, awareness-raising video campaigns and creative arts initiatives. To date, over 5,000 people have engaged in local programmes.

Representatives from some of the groups and organisations involved took part in panel discussions at the Showcase Event and spoke about the importance of collective action in tackling EVAWG and innovative approaches that are driving meaningful change in communities across the district.

Opening the Showcase Event, Newry, Mourne and Down District 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.

“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, please visit Ending Violence Against Women and Girls