What type of Christmas will Ireland have? Will we be able to gather with loved ones, buy gifts, socialise with Covid-19 amongst us? What will festivities look like? These are questions many of us are pondering as we head into December. Yet in many households the season brings fear, dread and danger.
Mounting bills, increased drinking and more time at home has always made Christmas and New Year very difficult for those who live in the shadow of domestic violence. This year the addition of pandemic restrictions makes it even more so.
Whatever decisions the Government makes on restrictions as we approach the holiday it seems clear we will all be spending more time at home. When that is spent with an abuser then its means mental torture and fear waiting for the next outburst which can cause physical harm.
This toxic combination of holidays and restrictions makes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25th November) and the 16 days of action which follow more important than ever.
Orange the World
Recognising the dangerous impact of Covid-19 and its restrictions the United Nations has designated the theme for this years International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women as ‘Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!’.
High profile buildings and landmarks will be ‘oranged’ to raise awareness. While the UN has also again noted that the Sustainable Developments Goals simply cannot be achieved without ending violence against women. As they commit to ‘leave no-one behind’.
Funding
It is notable that the United Nations in its theme has identified priority number one as ‘Fund’. A stark reminder that nothing can really be achieved unless money is in place. It is a hard reality that the fine words of both condemnation and support around the well documented rise in domestic violence throughout 2020 will achieve nothing on their own.
Initiatives need support. Helplines and refuges must be paid for. Awareness campaigns are not cheap. Research to identify strategic, sustainable and long-term solutions are costly.
While the Government has recognised that the restrictions and lockdowns have created a crisis and responded with substantial funding much of it is going on fire-fighting measures aimed at getting us through an emergency.
Yet despite this generosity demand for support continues to far out-weigh the resources which are available.
Tapping into new resources
At The Community Foundation for Ireland we are providing about €15 million in grants to volunteers, communities and charities – including those in the frontline of domestic violence – this year. This money is being made available through private donations, corporate donations as well as legacies through individuals and families.
Safe Ireland, Women’s Aid and Men’s Aid are among those who have received emergency funding through this route.
Our donors are proud to support these and other organisations.
However, the area of philanthropy remains largely untapped in this country and we believe there is a lot more support out there which can be used.
A recent ‘Giving Ireland Report’ showed us that gifts to charities in excess of €5,000 account for just 1% of donations in Ireland. Yet in New Zealand, a very similar country in terms of population, urban-rural divide and social and economic make up the percentage is 33%.
The reason for the gap is New Zealand has embraced, nurtured and encouraged philanthropy, gift-giving and legacies through its tax code.
The same analysis also showed that philanthropy and in particular legacies left through wills are the most cost-effective ways of fundraising for communities and charities.
Another area where Ireland can do a lot more is match funding. Research, awareness campaigns and strategic responses could be supported through a combination of public and private monies.
This approach has been championed by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. It is being used to respond to social justice issues, climate change and more recently the re-opening of small businesses in the UK Capital.
This is a moment
Over the past few months the stark reality of the dangers faced within many family homes has been brought to the fore like never before. There has never been a more important time to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 16-days of international activism which follow.
It is a period that requires more than solidarity and awareness – it also requires strategic thinking. To look at the longer-term as well as responding to the immediate emergency.
This requires looking at our resources seeing how we can move to public and private funding working together to have a bigger impact. For example this could include the delivery of multi-annual funding which charities and communities need for sustainable, strategic and long-term planning. Such planning in turn leads to solutions and answers.
The next 16-days will give us focus. If we are to ensure that the scourge of violence and abuse is removed from Irish homes forever then we need to harness that focus and energy and think long-term and as we hopefully begin to emerge from the Pandemic and the restrictions that we can truthfully say that never again will families be left open to such danger.