Women’s Aid 50th Anniversary Conference
Join us for the Women’s Aid 50-Year Anniversary One Day Conference
Maintaining Momentum towards gender equality with a zero tolerance of violence against women
Thursday 21st November 2024
Clayton Hotel, Cardiff Lane, Dublin 2.
Book your conference ticket and tickets for the morning and afternoon workshop.
9am – 9.45am Registration and Networking
9.45am – 10am Welcome
- Ailbhe Smyth, Chair of Women’s Aid
- Natalya O’Flaherty, ‘Think’ Spoken Word Performance
10am – 11am Plenary Session 1: Panel Discussion
Domestic Abuse and Gender Inequality – advancements in Irish society over five decades, prevailing challenges and opportunities for change.
- Sarah Benson, CEO, Women’s Aid.
- Denise Charlton, CEO, Community Foundation Ireland.
- Sean Cooke, CEO, Men’s Development Network
- Stephanie O’Keeffe, CEO, CUAN, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency
11am-11.30am Coffee Break & Exhibitions
11.30am-1pm Breakaway Parallel Sessions 1-3
Session 1: Disabled Women’s Experience of Intimate Partner Abuse
- Susan Flynn & Gladys O’Neill, Research Team, Trinity College Dublin
- Nem Kearns, Disabilty advocate and policy advisor.
- Sarah Benson, CEO, Women’s Aid
- Liz Pena, Head of Services Development, CUAN, the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency.
- Moderated by Ailbhe Smyth, academic, activist and chair of Women’s Aid.
Session 2: Facing Reality: Addressing Pornography and the role it plays in violence against women and children, including image based sexual abuse.
- Mary Hayes, Too Into You co-ordinator, Women’s Aid.
- Ruth Breslin, Director, The SERP Institute.
- Alex Cooney, CEO, Cybersafe Kids.
- Mick Moran, CEO, Hotline.ie.
- Moderated by Ali Ryan, founder Goss.ie
Session 3: The cost of domestic abuse to women and families, the barriers to safety and the importance of an intersectional approach to zero tolerance of gender-based violence.
- Eavan Ward, Head of Regional Services, Women’s Aid.
- Louise Bayliss, Campaign Co-ordinator, Focus Ireland.
- Dr. Rosaleen McDonagh, activist, playwright, author, and Traveller.
- Megan Connors, Violence against Women programme, Pavee Point.
- Dr. Salome Mbugua Henry, CEO, AkiDwA.
- Moderated by Suzanna Knight, Head of Training and Development, Women’s Aid
1pm – 2.15pm Lunch & Exhibitions Restaurant & Main Foyer
2.15pm-3.45pm Breakaway Parallel Sessions 4-6
Session 4: Understanding and addressing coercive control and its impact on women and children.
- Dr. Emma Katz, researcher and international expert on coercive control.
- Professor Stephanie Holt, Trinity College Dublin.
- Clíona Golden, Associate, Arthur Cox LLP.
- Stephanie Whyte, Head of Services, Barnardos.
- Mary-Louise Lynch, Founder, SiSi.
- Moderated by Margaret Martin, former CEO Women’s Aid and current member of the Board of the National Women’s Council.
Session 5: Eradicating domestic abuse and gender inequality through partnerships and whole of society action.
- Marisa Ryan, Head of Strategic Partnerships, CUAN the Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency.
- Hannah Wayte, Employer Engagement Project Leader, Women’s Aid.
- Dr. Michelle Walsh, CEO, MOVE.
- Sinéad Greene, Detective Superintendent with the Garda National Protective Services Bureau (GNPSB), An Garda Síochána.
- Orla O’Connor, Chair, Irish Observatory on Violence against Women.
- Moderated by Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, Vice President of CoE GREVIO committee.
Session 6: The importance of men’s leadership in pursuit of zero tolerance of violence against women and for gender equality.
- Eoghan Cleary, secondary school teacher and assistant principal and SPHE and well-being expert.
- Sean Cooke, CEO, Men’s Development Network.
- Ivan Cooper, CEO, The Wheel.
- Robert Hanly, Head of People and Culture, Allianz Ireland.
- Finian Murphy, Marketing Director, Core.
- Moderated by Sarah Benson, CEO, Women’s Aid.
3.45pm –4pm Coffee Break & Exhibitions
4pm Plenary Session 2
- Insights and reflections from breakaway parallel sessions 1-6 by rapporteurs
- Chaired by Sarah Benson
4.30pm Keynote Address
- Norah Casey, entrepreneur, broadcaster, publisher and campaigner on women’s leadership and equality, nationally and globally.
4.50pm Closing Session
- Sarah Benson, CEO, Women’s Aid.
- Natalya O’Flaherty, Not Like Other Girls Spoken Word Performance
5pm-7pm Reception & networking
This event is free of charge.
The venue is fully accessible.
This conference is generously supported by Arthur Cox.