West Cork Women Against Violence centre fighting on behalf of us all

Last month, I spent a morning at the West Cork Women Against Violence centre (WCWAV) in Bantry, writes Louise O’Neill.

I had met Marie Mulholland, the centre’s co-ordinator, at the Safe Ireland summit in 2016 and been blown away by her energy and ceaseless dedication to helping women in what are often desperate situations. We stayed in touch, and when I asked her if I could talk to her about her work in greater detail, she was kind enough to invite me to visit its headquarters.

As we sat around the table in the meeting room, I wanted to talk to Marie, Colette, and Susan about something that had been bothering me for a while. “Ostensibly, I don’t know anyone who is a victim of domestic violence,” I said. “Not one. And yet, if the statistics bear out and one in three women is experiencing some sort of abuse in her relationship, then someone amongst my friends or family members is suffering in silence. What can I do to help?”