LAVINIA KERWICK. AISLING Vickers. Natasha O’Brien. Hazel Behan. Nikita Hand. Ciara Mangan. Margaret Loftus.
The list could go on. All of these women are survivors of gender-based violence. By taking a stand and speaking out publicly, they, together with families bereaved through femicide, have changed our society’s response to violence against women.
Survivors are experts by experience, and their knowledge is incredibly valuable. The insights around the harmful effects of using counselling notes in sexual offences trials came from survivors. Jennie’s Law, named in honour of Jennifer Poole, who was murdered by her ex-partner, is a Bill pioneered by the victim’s brother and establishes a domestic violence register. And Coco’s Law, which outlaws image-based sexual abuse, was drafted in response to the family of a victim of gender-based violence, Nicole Fox.
Speaking out publicly can be empowering and healing for survivors and their families. Yet, the reliance on individuals recounting deeply personal and painful experiences to shape our laws can also be problematic. It can be retraumatising and come at a high cost, particularly if the stories are repeated across the media. Too often, there is also a risk that it is tokenistic.
Violence against women is at epidemic levels on our island. 278 women have died violently in the South over 20 years, to February 2026. Gardaí received 65,000 calls about domestic violence in 2024. One in three women will experience sexual violence in her lifetime.
Meaningful change
If Ireland is serious about ending violence against women, we must move from merely listening to stories and shaking our heads to building systems that embed survivor expertise.
What this could look like in practice is outlined in a new research report from the Observatory on Violence against Women, a 40-organisation-strong network of service providers and advocacy and survivor groups, chaired by the National Women’s Council.
The research underlines how survivor engagement must go beyond one-off, ad-hoc consultations and personal stories. It outlines how survivors are experts by experience, whose knowledge can improve how systems function. Crucially, it shows that meaningful engagement provides the opportunity to rebuild a sense of control and empowerment for survivors.
Ireland would not be starting from scratch. Many frontline organisations are already survivor-centred or led by them. In Australia, survivor advisory councils inform policy at both the state and national levels, with members paid for their expertise. In Wales, survivor panels scrutinise government action and shape national strategies.
These models share common principles: survivor safety, long-term engagement, proper resourcing and recognition of lived experience as expertise.
They also demonstrate something important: when it is done well, survivor engagement benefits society as a whole. It leads to better policy, more effective services and stronger accountability. For survivors themselves, it can be empowering, offering opportunities to influence change, connect with others and transform a personal traumatic experience into collective impact.
A new framework for change
At the heart of the recommendations in the new report is the creation of a national survivor engagement framework. This framework would be co-designed with survivors as well as specialist services.
A key first step would be the establishment of a survivor-led Lived Experience Advisory Council, supported by Cuan. This Council would bring together women with diverse experiences of violence, such as coercive control, sexual violence, trafficking and exploitation and provide direct input into decisions on law, policy and services.
We know that racism, poverty, disability, migration status and other forms of inequality shape experiences of violence. The Council must therefore include women from a range of backgrounds, including Traveller and Roma women, women of colour, migrant women, disabled women and LGBTIQ+ people.
It will be crucial that survivors are supported before, during and after participation, and they should be paid for their time and expertise. There must also be the option to remain anonymous.
For too long, survivor knowledge has been treated as supplementary to “expert” analysis. In reality, it is essential to it. Embedding this knowledge within decision-making structures is not just good practice; it is necessary for systems that work.
Ireland has made real progress in recognising the importance of survivor voices. The government, Cuan the Observatory and specialist services have all shown commitment to this. The forthcoming Fourth National Strategy on Gender Based Violence is a unique opportunity to build on previous experiences in a systematic and supported way.
Now is the moment to move from personal stories to societal transformation. We owe it to the women who lived to tell their stories. And we owe to the women who did not.
Corrinne Hasson is the Executive Director of the National Women’s Council and Chair of the Irish Observatory on Violence against Women.