Meet the first migrant woman to chair the National Women’s Council
National Women's Council chairwoman Jennifer Okeke. Picture: Moya Nolan
“We are falling behind when it comes dealing with domestic violence," according to the first migrant woman to chair the National Women’s Council.
Jennifer Okeke plans to make tackling the epidemic of domestic violence sweeping the country, access to services, and more women in leadership roles her priorities. Born in Nigeria, Ms Okeke was elected as chairwoman of the NWC last month.
The mother of three has lived in Ireland for 20 years and considers herself Black Irish. A community activist, she is also the anti-trafficking co-ordinator with the Immigrant Council of Ireland and now the first woman of colour to be elected as NWC's chairwoman.
“There is an epidemic of domestic violence,” she told the in her first interview since her election. “And it’s not just about women, we need to create a culture where men don’t believe it’s acceptable to be violent towards a woman.
"Some high-profile cases in recent years have again put the spotlight on this and as more women bravely come forward to speak up, we want to see more decisive actions that creates a culture of zero tolerance, where any abuse and violence is unacceptable, victims are supported, and perpetrators are held to account."
She said the NWC welcomed the decision of the DPP to appeal the sentence in the Natasha O’Brien case. Soldier Cathal Crotty last month was given a three-year suspended sentence for viciously attacking Ms O'Brien. Ms Okeke said she wants to see the entire justice system adopt a more victim-centred approach.
Ms Okeke was also speaking in the wake of the recent report from Women’s Aid which showed 40,048 disclosures of domestic abuse occurred against women and children in 2023. A total of 28,638 contacts were made with its national and regional support services in the same year.
The study also showed an 18% increase in disclosures of domestic abuse compared with the figures in 2022 — these were the highest increase in disclosures ever received by the organisation in its 50-year history.
NWC also recently highlighted five key areas for structural investments, including childcare, housing and homelessness, feminist climate justice, healthcare and social protection.
“All of the areas are important to us at NWC, for example the lack of childcare and unequal distribution of care work is a significant barrier for women to participate in all spheres of life. That is why in our Budget 2025, we are calling for a public model of childcare for every child and parent who needs it, as well as the right of people to access the support they need to live independently.
“Women with disabilities accessing personal assistants or women with special needs children accessing the right support for their family are live issues.
“All of this struggle, all this pain and all those challenges is because they are a woman. I have seen it myself over the years, I know from my own lived experiences all these challenges that happen particularly with motherhood.
“Domestic abuse and violence are not a joke for me, working in gender-based violence is not just a job for me, it’s an area I am passionate about, being able to support other women, because I know, one mistake, one wrong decision and your life can go down the wrong path very quickly.
“This is happening to a lot of women who have the potential to do great things, just one wrong decision and everything falls apart and sometimes the women feel trapped in a toxic situation and environment. Marriage and relationships are beautiful, but there are many problems in these relationships too and when marriage becomes a thorn in your flesh then it is time to let go.
“But for many women, including women of migrant background like me, they remain in such abusive situations for diverse reasons, including for example the fear that they might lose their children, and residence permits”.
Ms Okeke described the long and challenging journey she took to achieve her goals. She came to Ireland in 2004 as an asylum seeker and at the time she was pregnant and alone.
Having lived in Direct Provision, she sat an entrance exam for Travel and Tourism at Inchicore college of Further Education.
In 2004, she was not allowed to study here because she was an asylum seeker, but she managed to convince her main tutor, Elaine O’Reilly, to allow her on a course.
“I was screaming with excitement,” she said. “It gave me a channel to focus, and to better myself. In that way, my daughter had a focus, and she could grow up to pursue her goals and be whatever she wanted to be in the society, education gave me something to give to her.
She was forced to rely on women in the direct provision to care for her child, however, she commends one tutor who helped her through the course.
“Elaine O’Reilly is a woman I will never forget; she did so much to help”.
However, Ms Okeke struggled with the workload and often missed lengthy periods of college due to lack of childcare. “I got through it with the support of my helpful course tutors, they sent assignments home to me. But it was a very hard time in my life” she continued.
After she completed her two-year course and achieved a Distinction, she applied for a degree in BSC from the University College of Birmingham and did most of the course in Ireland.
She later joined the New Communities Partnership (NCP) in her community. “People’s welfare and wellbeing meant a lot to me, and issues affecting women and children has always been an area of interest to me,” she said.
She went on to secure her own place to live, got married and eventually became an Irish citizen. Many supportive friends encouraged her to go back to college because she wanted to give more to society.
She wrote about female genital mutilation for her Masters in International Relations at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU).
In 2019, Ms Okeke secured a role at the Immigrant Council and has since been appointed as anti-trafficking co-ordinator and later became a board member with the National Women’s Council.
Four years later she was awarded a PhD from Dublin City University, and her research was on the experience of African migrant women trafficked into and through Ireland for sexual exploitation.
“The struggle was real,” she said, “but I was blessed to have met amazing women along my journey who supported me. This is why I am always looking for opportunities to give back, especially to the younger generation, I really want to help bring about positive changes.”
She said her new role will give her more opportunity to focus on the needs of women. “We have been fighting for our (women’s) rights, but we are not there yet,” she said.
“The National Women’s Council is hoping to push the issues of women’s equality in party manifestos. “While we have celebrated some important milestones for women’s right over the decade, we are also very concerned about the rise of the far-right.
"We are also concerned about the increased racism. In particular, migrant women and ethnic minority women can face double discrimination of racism and misogyny.
“Even when you look at the issue of women in leadership, there is not enough of us there,” she said. "We need to see more and diverse kinds of women in leadership positions.”
She believes background will help inform her fight to have more female voices heard in positions of power. “We need more seats for women at the table where decisions are being made by women who understand the issues," she says.
“We want the government to help steer Ireland towards gender equality, and that’s a big issue for us at the NWC in the upcoming general election and also for the next budget. We will use it as an important opportunity to put a strong focus on women’s equality in party manifestos.”
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