SIGNPOSTS FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
Raising Awareness on Domestic Violence within the Traveller Community
Freedom from Fear
As part of the Freedom From Fear Fund, Meath Travellers Workshops (MTW) sought to highlight gender-based violence (GBV) through a culturally-sensitive awareness campaign that addressed the acceptance of violence and barriers to getting help among the Traveller community.
Objectives of the Program:
To raise awareness on the issue of Domestic Violence in the Traveller Community through
Six peer-led educational workshops
Two radio advertisements
Four podcast episodes with members of the Traveller community
A poster campaign
The Poster Campaign:
MTW used a preventative approach to tackle the cultural causes of GBV within Ireland's Traveller community.
We designed and distributed posters illustrating the issue of GBV to:
23 Primary Schools
114 Secondary Schools
in Navan, Trim, and Kells
27 Partner Organizations
National Traveller Partnerships groups
Refuge Service
Women’s Aid
Springboard
Podcasts and Radio Advertisements:
MTW worked with Sam Whelan-Curtin to produce four podcasts addressing the following themes.
General Domestic Violence
Male Victims of Domestic Violence
Marital Violnce Against Young Girls
Coercive Control
These podcasts reached an audience of approximately 70,000 people.
The final component of MTW’s awareness-raising campaigns was a radio advertisement of LMFM to highlight the project’s work. LMFM, a leading radio station in Louth and Meath, also invited the project leads to join their talk show and shared MTW’s videos on social media.
Workshops:
MTW organized six tailored workshops aimed at
Destigmatising gender-based violence
Building confidence
Directing participants to support services
Ken Egan, a professional boxer, led two of the workshops for young male Travellers, emphasising that violence belongs in the boxing ring, while a seperate workshop for young female Travellers focused on consent and coercion. (5 people attended the workshop series, although it is expected that the impact has a far wider reach as the attendees represent different families in the Traveller community.
