All proceeds made from the release of Irish Women in Harmony’s cover of Dreams by The Cranberries will go to Childline

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a 25% rise in domestic violence calls to An Garda Síochana reported in Ireland. 

Sharon O’Halloran, Co-CEO of Safe Ireland, the national policy and service hub for 39 frontline domestic violence services around the country said, “Safe Ireland is honoured that the gifted team involved in this beautiful song has come together in support of our work to protect women and children from abuse and violence.  As our country begins to open up, our services are expecting that many more women and children who have been living in intolerable situations with their abusers for weeks now will reach out for support and safety.  The funding generated by Irish Women in Harmony will go directly to women and children through our services, to help them find the safety and freedom they need and deserve.”

Safe Ireland is the national social change agency working to end domestic abuse and coercive control in Ireland. They collaborate in their work with 39 specialist frontline domestic violence (DV) services throughout Ireland, who are Members of Safe Ireland. Together, they support the development and provision of critical lifelines to an average of 13,500 women and children every year (DV National Statistics 2018).

Since early March, Safe Ireland has been working closely with its 39 members throughout Ireland, to problem-solve complex and newly emerging issues arising in DV frontline service provision as a result of Covid-19. DV services are classified as essential services under the current Covid-19 National Emergency. 

Initially, of critical importance to the sector was the need to limit the opportunity of the coronavirus to spread in emergency refuge settings many of which are communal and have limited facilities for self-isolation or to practice safe physical distancing. Safe Ireland members had to quickly reconfigure and develop creative, safe ways to ensure that women knew that they were open and operating, that they could be reached easily in a variety of ways and to help find alternative accommodation.

During Covid-19, many women and children have been locked down with their abusers behind closed doors, for over three months now. Many survivors have reported that their aggressors have used the virus as a weapon of control and that they have found it difficult to find the time and space to reach out for support. As the country opens up and people return to work, services are now experiencing an increase in calls and needs, particularly for women with multiple children, who are concerned about the double damage that lockdown alongside abuse may have had. Many services are saying that in reality, this is only the beginning.