All posts by Róisín Gallagher
Irish Aid White Paper (2006)
14/6/19 – The Ifrah Foundation joins the ICGBV
For immediate release
Friday, June 14, 2019
Ifrah Foundation joins Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence
A leading organisation working to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM) has joined the Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence (ICGBV).
The Ifrah Foundation was founded in 2010 by Ifrah Ahmed, who was born in Somalia and is now an Irish citizen. She is one of the world’s top international female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) eradication advocates and activists. Ifrah has received multiple awards for her work and campaigning to bring an end to this practice around the world.
The Ifrah Foundation has joined the ICGBV which is an alliance of Irish human rights, humanitarian and development organisations, Irish Aid and the Irish Defence Forces.
The Consortium was formed to address the high levels of sexual violence that was being perpetrated in international conflict and crisis situations in 2005. Together members work to increase knowledge and understanding of violence against women and girls.
The consortium members strive to ensure high quality programming and policy responses across the humanitarian and development contexts in which they work and to build leadership to support their shared vision of a world free from gender-based violence.
Welcoming the Ifrah Foundation, ICGBV Chairperson, Concern Worldwide Chief Executive Dominic MacSorley, said the Foundation had shone a light on the issue of female genital mutilation, a pervasive but preventable form of gender based violence. “We look forward to working with the Ifrah Foundation in the coming years on the amazing work that they are doing to end the practice of FGM/C worldwide,” he said
The Ifrah Foundation is a registered charity in Ireland and recently appointed Leonie Kerins as it’s executive director. It has been active in Somalia since 2013, where it is also a registered Civil Society Organisation. Ifrah Ahmed, founder of both entities, leads the programme activities there on behalf the Foundation’s many international funding partners and also acts as gender advisor to the Government of Somalia.
Ifrah Ahmed said: “We are delighted to join the consortium which brings together a wealth of experience in the field of gender based violence. Working together with the members of the consortium, we are looking forward to learning from them and forging stronger partnerships to support our work on the ground”
For further information about the Ifrah Foundation visit www.ifrahfoundation.org
For media queries contact Abby Ryan, Coordinator, Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence, at 01 41777702 or abby.ryan@gbv.ie
ENDS
Notes to the editor:
The full membership of the ICGBV is:
ActionAid Ireland
Christian Aid Ireland
Concern
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Goal
Ifrah Foundation
Irish Defence Forces
Irish Red Cross
Oxfam Ireland
Plan Ireland
Self Help Africa
Trócaire
World Vision Ireland
11/3/19 – New Report: ‘In violence we forget who we were’
Download ICGBV Report – ‘In violence we forget who we were’
Responding and Empowering: GBV Services in Lebanon in Response to the Syrian Crisis
For this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 63) the ICGBV commissioned a report on GBV response services in Lebanon in the wake of the Syrian Crisis. Looking at the critical intersection between GBV and the priority theme of ‘social protection, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls’.
As the CSW comes at the same time as the eight year anniversary of outbreak of war in Syria, the ICGBV sought to examine the model GBV response services within the humanitarian response of a small country that is on the frontlines Syrian conflict and the mass exodus of refugees – Lebanon.
After eight years of humanitarian response that is moving more towards long-term development funding, Lebanon has a lot to offer in terms of a case study.
With the help of Cathy Doran and Tim Sheehan (Concern), the ICGBV was able to produce this report. The main themes that emerged in the research for this report were:
- The need for not just a survivor-centred approach to GBV response services, but a survivor-led approach.
- The importance of working with local Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) throughout all stages of the response.
- The need to work with government institutions even in an Emergency setting to ensure that services are sustainable.
- The opportunity that can exist to advance GBV response services at a time of concentrated resource investment.
*Heading image provided by Women Now for Development, an organisation which began in Syria and is now working in Lebanon through Centres for Women’s Empowerment.
CSW 63 Side Event – Empowering in Emergencies: A Conversation with Frontline Responders to GBV
CSW Side Event hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations, in conjunction with the Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence (ICGBV).
Date: Tuesday, 19th MarchTime: 13:15-14:30Venue: UN General Assembly Building, Conference Room 11
16 Days Online Exhibition
Welcome to our Online Exhibition. Here you will hear stories of Courage, Determination and Change. Stories from people who believe in gender equality and in the importance of ending discrimination and violence against women and girls in their communities. This exhibition profiles the work of five members of the Irish Consortium on Gender Based Violence based in Malawi, to address gender inequalities and work towards and end to violence against women and girls.