Council event celebrates groups endeavouring to End Violence Against Women and Girls
Mid Ulster District Council held a celebration event at the Burnavon, Cookstown yesterday evening, Thursday, 19 June to recognise a number of groups in the district who were awarded grants through the Executive’s Local Change Fund to help End Violence Against Women and Girls.
The Local Change Fund is a local grant scheme which aims to support Community and Voluntary Sector organisations to develop and deliver projects, programmes and/or initiatives that help to prevent violence against women and girls.
Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) is a seven year programme mandated by the Northern Ireland Executive which will address the whole range of gender-based violence, abuse and harm which is disproportionately experienced by women and girls, and which is rooted in gender inequality.
12 groups in Mid Ulster were awarded the grant. They are: Friends of Knocknagin, Killeeshil Community Centre (did not attend the event), The Tobin Centre, Ballinderry Community Hub, Royal School Dungannon Parents, Friends & Teacher's Association, Bardic Educational Arts and Media (BEAM), Irish FA Foundation, Brantry Area Rural Development Association, Mid Ulster Wellness Association CIC, Healthy Kidz CIC, Mid-Ulster Stronger Together (MUST) and Craic Arts Centre.
Speaking at the event, Chair of the Council, Councillor Frances Burton, said:
From 2021-2024, an astonishing, and moreover devastating, 3,873 crimes with a domestic abuse motivation were reported here in Mid Ulster. That is why the Northern Ireland Executive’s strategy, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, is more than a policy. It’s a commitment. A commitment to face a difficult truth: that too many women and girls live with fear, endure harassment, or experience violence - often in silence. But we are here today because we refuse to let that silence continue. The projects we’re supporting this evening will engage both young women and young men. They will support survivors, and provide safe spaces for women to access help, guidance, and the support they need to rebuild their lives.
View pics from the celebration event on the Council's Facebook page.