ActionAid Ireland has called on Irish people to stand in solidarity with the millions of women and girls around the world who are victims of gender-based violence this Christmas.
The organisation is highlighting the global crisis of gender-based violence and femicide, which is women being killed because they are a woman, usually by their partners.
Launching its Christmas campaign, ActionAid Ireland said while the festive season is meant to be one of joy, with a woman being killed every ten minutes around the world, this Christmas will be about survival for millions, not celebration.
Speaking at the campaign launch ahead of the global16 Days of Action Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, survivor Natasha O’ Brien, whose brutal assault in 2022 and subsequent suspended sentence for her attacker sparked nationwide conversations said: “Gender-based violence is not a distant issue. It is happening in every community and every county in Ireland and globally. It is shocking to see the numbers of women are killed every year, just because they are a woman. Too many women live in fear, without adequate resources or access to justice.”
She added: “I know what it feels like to be silenced, dismissed, and made invisible. For years I believed that my voice didn’t matter until I used it, and this country stood with me. But countless women never get that chance. They suffer in silence, in fear, and without support. That’s why this campaign matters. We cannot look away. We cannot stay silent.”
Presenter Muireann O’Connell also added her support to the ActionAid Ireland campaign through supporting an online video raising awareness of the issue.
ActionAid Ireland CEO, Karol Balfe, said: “Femicide is a global problem, with rates in some countries increasing at an alarming rate. For example, the crisis is deepening in Kenya where there was a 79% increase in 2024, highlighting a national emergency of killing women. A report by the police in Kenya shows that one woman is killed every day. In Ireland since 1996, 277 women have been killed (as of November 19th), and in 9 out of 10 cases the killer was a man known to the victim. One in two women in Ireland experiences sexual violence in her lifetime.”
She added: “We owe a huge amount to women like Natasha O’Brien, whose bravery in speaking out is an inspiration for women. This Christmas we are highlighting the epidemic of violence against women in Ireland and around the world and the amazing role that women and women’s rights organisations play in creating better laws, policies and awareness. It is because of them that this issue gets attention.”
As well as raising awareness around the issue of femicide ActionAid Ireland’s Christmas appeal will support women’s empowerment in Kenya through groups such as Sauti ya Wanawake (Women’s Voices). One woman whose life has been transformed through the group, and who features in ActionAid Ireland’s appeal, is mother of three Ann who almost lost her life when she was attacked with a machete by her husband. She has now begun rebuilding her life through counselling, medical care, and a small business grant.
Last year, ActionAid Ireland helped over 5,000 women in Kenya access safe spaces, counselling, medical care and legal aid. More than 1,200 women were able to take their first steps towards independence through leadership training, financial literacy, and livelihood opportunities such as farming, tailoring and small businesses.
To support the campaign, donate at actionaid.ie/christmas-appeal-2025/.
