New and “potentially lifesaving” free programme for family and friends of victims of domestic abuse and coercive control launched by Women’s Aid.

  • Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Catherine Connolly will deliver the Opening Address at the launch of the Women’s Aid Centre for Learning and Practice Development.
  • New Allies and Informal Supporters programme is free and available to anyone who wants to understand how to safely support someone they know being subjected to coercive control.
  • Victims of domestic abuse and coercive control using Women’s Aid National Helpline Services and other frontline support services often feel disbelieved, silenced, shamed and too afraid to tell someone what is being done to them because of inconsistent and detrimental responses from professionals and family and friends.
  • Ireland has a real and urgent need of structured, evidence-based, practice-informed training available to the people who are most likely to encounter victims of domestic abuse in their daily work.
  • Women’s Aid launches new Centre for Learning and Practice Development to transform how Irish society understands and responds to domestic abuse and coercive control in line with the Government’s commitment in the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
  • The new Centre for Learning and Practice Development includes wide ranging, domestic violence informed targeted programmes and practice sessions both online and in person for employers and professionals in the health, community and voluntary, legal and law enforcement, children and young people sectors and specialist domestic abuse professionals.

Tuesday 25th November 2025: Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism, Uachtarán na hÉireann, President Catherine Connolly will deliver the Opening Address at the Women’s Aid launch of a new and potentially lifesaving resource for family and friends of victims of coercive control. The new Allies and Informal Supporters Programme is free and available to anyone who wants to understand how to safely support someone they know who is being subjected to domestic abuse and coercive control. Anyone who takes the programme will better understand the harms of domestic abuse and coercive control and how to safely support someone they know, as an ally or informal supporter. This offer is part of the new Women’s Aid Centre for Learning and Practice Development designed to transform how Irish society understands and responds to domestic abuse and coercive control.

The Centre for Learning and Practice Development includes wide ranging, domestic violence informed targeted programmes and practice sessions both online and in person for employers and professionals in the health, community and voluntary, legal and law enforcement, children and young people sectors and specialist domestic abuse professionals. The Women’s Aid Centre for Learning and Practice Development is a strengthening of our national commitment that every door a victim-survivor knocks on for support, is a safe door.

Suzanna Knight, Head of the Centre for Learning and Practice Development says:

“Domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence continues to be one of the most pervasive public health issues and human rights violations with one in three women subjected to domestic abuse in Ireland. Every day, Women’s Aid and other frontline services hear from women whose lives are harmed by fear, abuse and control by someone who is supposed to love them. The numbers remain stark, and behind every statistic is a person—a woman, a child, a family—whose safety and wellbeing depend on the quality of the responses they receive.”

Ms Knight adds

“Domestic violence is rarely disclosed directly. Victims often test the waters or wait for someone to ask or to create a space where it feels safe to speak. A trained professional recognises what it takes for someone to talk about what is happening to them. A trained professional knows the right questions to ask—and just as importantly, the questions not to ask. Families, neighbours, and communities play a critical role. Many victims disclose first to someone they trust—a friend, a sibling, a parent. Yet families often struggle with what to do. They may not understand the dynamics of abuse. They may urge the victim to leave thinking that will stop the abuse, without recognising that leaving can be the most dangerous time and won’t stop the abuse. They may feel overwhelmed, uncertain, or afraid of ‘interfering.’”

Ms Knight continues:

“In recent years we have witnessed growing public awareness of domestic violence, a strengthened legislative framework, and unprecedented political recognition of the scale of the issue. This is reflected clearly in the Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which sets an explicit goal of delivering a consistent, high-quality, trauma-informed response across all sectors. The strategy commits to building a workforce that is confident, capable, and equipped to recognise and respond to domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.”

Ms Knight highlights:

“Our new Centre for Learning and Practice Development stands firmly within this national vision. It exists because we know that achieving the goals of the national strategy requires more than goodwill, more than awareness, and more than isolated training sessions. It requires sustained learning, embedded practices, and a culture shift across professional disciplines and within communities.”

Linda Smith, Head of the National Freephone Services at Women’s Aid agrees:

“Domestic violence touches every sector—healthcare, education, social services, law enforcement, early years care, community organisations, workplaces, and families themselves. Yet we know that responses are still inconsistent. Too often, women using the National Helpline Services tell us of feeling disbelieved, silenced, shamed and too afraid to tell someone what is being done to them. Women have told us that no one asked what was happening, or when they tried to bring it up, the person didn’t know what to do. We regularly hear from women feeling drained and vulnerable having had to repeat their story time and again when engaging with systems. This can be very harmful and prolong women’s experience of abuse. We also hear from family and friends who are worried about doing the wrong thing when supporting someone they care for.”

Suzanna Knight continues:

“These gaps are not due to lack of compassion or effort. They stem from a lack of structured, evidence-based, practice-informed training available to the people who are most likely to encounter victims in their daily work. And this is where Ireland has a real and urgent need. Domestic violence training is not optional; it is essential. It is the difference between a woman being dismissed or being supported. Between a child’s fear being overlooked or being recognised for what it truly is. Between a professional feeling helpless and being able to offer safe, effective support.”

Jill*, a survivor of domestic abuse says:

“I survived domestic abuse, and I know that if the people around me — my family, my friends, the professionals I met — had understood what was really happening to me, my journey to safety and recovery might have been so much shorter. I was bullied, beaten, controlled. I slept in my clothes, ready to run with my son at a moment’s notice. I lived in constant fear of the consequences of doing something he didn’t like. It was easier not to be with anyone. It was exhausting trying to manage conversations and people’s reactions to him – loneliness felt safer than risking his punishment. My family, doctors, Gardaí, hospital professionals all had opportunities to provide support that could’ve made a huge difference. They didn’t know how to. My sister got frustrated when I couldn’t leave, the Garda who came after I was badly assaulted didn’t understand why I went back to my husband. My doctor only offered me medication and maternity professionals missed the signs that I was being beaten and living in so much fear during my pregnancy. I sometimes wonder how different things would have been if just one person understood what my silence really meant.”

Jill continues:

“I am not blaming anyone. These professionals weren’t bad people – they just didn’t have the training to be open to the possibility that I was a victim of domestic violence, or to understand what it was like living under coercive control. They didn’t know that abuse isn’t always visible. They didn’t know that a woman can be terrified and still appear calm. They didn’t know that a threat to a child is a threat to a mother’s life. It is so important that professionals really understand what happens in domestic abuse and coercive control. Domestic abuse is everyone’s concern, and everyone should get informed. You might save a life.”

Ms Knight concludes:

“Our vision for this centre is simple but ambitious: that every woman in Ireland—no matter where she lives, who she speaks to, or what door she knocks on—meets a trained, skilled, compassionate, and confident response. A response that recognises victims’ strength, holds perpetrators accountable, that listens without judgement, that prioritises victims’ safety and a response that understands coercive control, trauma, and the complex realities victims’ face. Ultimately, a response that empowers victims to make choices and supports them on the path ahead. This could be potentially lifesaving.”

End.

Support Information

  • Support is available on the Women’s Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900 or at www.womensaid.ie.
  • Support for men: National Male Advice Line 1800 816588 – www.mensnetwork.ie.

Notes to editors/producers:

About:

  • *Jill is a survivor of domestic abuse using her only her first name to speak publicly about her lived experience.
  • Women’s Aid is a national organisation working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse since 1974. They do this by advocating, influencing, training, and campaigning for effective responses to reduce the scale and impacts of domestic abuse on women and children and providing high-quality, specialised, integrated support services. See www.womensaid.ie
  • The Centre for Learning and Practice Development offers a range of specialist courses for workers and professionals designed to enhance understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control and provide the opportunity to develop skills to respond safely and effectively to those subjected to it. See www.womensaid.ie/get-training
  • 35% of women in Ireland, more than one in three, have experienced psychological, physical and/or sexual abuse from an intimate partner. (EU gender-based violence survey, Fundamental Rights Agency, 2024)