National Women’s Council

📢 We're Hiring: Social Prescribing Project Lead
🕓 4 days | 💼 18-month contract | 📍 Hybrid (Dublin office Tue & Wed)
This is a fantastic opportunity to shape real change in community health through a feminist, equality-focused lens
Apply: www.nwci.ie/learn/articl...

#JobFairy

Plans for 950-bed Cork student accommodation on former Magdalene laundry site put on hold An Coimisiún Pleanála has received four separate appeals against the recent decision of Cork City Council to grant planning permission for the development.

Plans for a student accommodation facility on the site of a former Magdalene laundry in Cork have been paused following objections, with one objector calling on the council & State to respect “the nationally recognised horrors of the mother & baby home”

www.thejournal.ie/plans-for-co...

‘I started looking when I was three months’ pregnant and was told there’s a two-year waiting list’ – counting the true cost of childcare For parents like Aoife Whelan, a mother-of-two living in Sallins, Co Kildare, Ireland’s childcare crisis begins before their child is even born. “I had to take a full year off for my first baby, as th...

“The lesson for Ireland is clear: childcare must be treated as a public good.”

Great read in yesterday’s @Independent_ie on costs of childcare & how shifting to a publicly delivered model could ensure women's full participation

Read more: www.independent.ie/opinion/comm...

#TogetherforPublic

Opinion: The ‘honest belief’ defence in rape cases rewards ignorance and insensitivity There is no other type of crime in which an accused person can rely on their own interpretation of events - even if there is no reasonable explanation for their belief

CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Rachel Morrogh writing in today’s Irish Times on the removal of the “honest belief” rape defence, which is a persistent barrier to rape victims to access justice.
Read the full article: www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2025...
#EndVAW

'The real work starts now': Long-awaited inquiry into drug that causes birth defects begins The inquiry will have three strands and invite those impacted by sodium valproate to give oral statements from September.

Great to see that an overdue inquiry has begun into the historic prescribing of sodium valproate, an antiepileptic drug that can lead to congenital conditions if used during pregnancy.

Read more: lght.ly/8kb116k

#WomensHealthMatters

This morning, NWC Director Orla O'Connor, attended a consultation to discuss the development of a new strategy to support the community and voluntary sector.

Many thanks to Minister for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer, for his time

As a revised #NationalDevelopmentPlan is published, it is important to highlight the urgent need for investment in social infrastructure & public services, such as #PublicChildcare, which would be a game changer for women & families.
Read NWC’s PBS 2026: www.nwci.ie/images/uploa...

Our thoughts are with the family & friends of Anna Mooney following today’s sentencing of her husband, who has been found guilty of her murder.

We hope this sentence brings a sense of justice to her loved ones after the hardship they have endured these past two years.

#EndVAW

Three out of five breast cancer patients in Republic face financial and mental stress Ninety per cent of patients in the North and 86% in the Republic suffering mental stress

3 in 5 breast cancer patients in the ROI face financial & mental stress, an all-island study has found.
The study recommends adopting an all-island approach to cancer & looking at financial supports for patients in the Republic.

Read more: www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41...

#WomensMentalHealth

Today NWC are at the Department of Social Protection's Pre-Budget Forum with colleagues from the National One Parent Family Alliance engaging with officials & Minister Calleary on the important investment in & reform of our social protection system to support women in #Budget2026

🇵🇸 National Demonstration for Palestine – This Saturday! 🇵🇸

Join the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign this Saturday, 19th July in Dublin as they take to the streets to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.📍 1PM – Garden of Remembrance

Raise your voice ✊

Yesterday, NWC joined in the National One Parent Family Alliance to meet with TDs and Senators and talk about our Pre-Budget Submission asks and the important budgetary measures we want to see taken to support lone parents and their families.

#Budget2026

‘Significant and necessary’: Advocacy groups welcome proposal to change ‘honest belief’ rape defence Removal of the defence ‘a crucial step’ towards survivor-centred justice system, says National Women’s Council

NWC welcomes the proposal to reform the ‘honest belief’ rape defence, a step in helping to shift the balance toward a justice process, “that recognises consent must be freely given, voluntary, ongoing, & affirms survivors’ right to be heard & believed”

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...

Huge congratulations to @aoibhneas.bsky.social for opening of a newly refurbished Children & Youth Service, a vital place for women & children survivors of domestic violence to receive supports. Aoibhneas' 2024 annual report shows the crucial work their supports provides to end #VAW

Ireland needs publicly funded and delivered childcare to tackle high costs, says National Women’s Council Council’s pre-budget submission calls for €300m allocation for sector for 2026 as system is ‘not working’ for women or children

NWC’s Pre-Budget Submission calls for a publicly funded and delivered childcare system, plus key investments in domestic violence services, postnatal mental health, fuel allowance expansion and more.

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

Pre Budget Submission: bit.ly/3zvA4Ht

Thank you to all of our speakers and attendees for joining us today 🙏

“Migrant & minority ethnic women experience multiple barriers to receiving the mental health care they need and are often less satisfied with the service they receive. That's why we need early, inclusive and gender sensitive mental health care.” Emilia Marchelewska, Cairde, speaking on mental health

“Disabled women deserve rights, not charity. This budget provides an opportunity to affect real positive change for disabled women.” Paula Soraghan, ILMI, speaking on making disabled women a priority in Budget 2026

"We need to make sure public childcare services are piloted in marginalised and underserved communities where the need is greater and children stand to gain the most." Annie Waithira Burke, AkiDwA, speaking on the need for a public system of childcare

"Those who are most affected have the least resources to deal with climate change –we have to take more of a grassroots approach and we can only do this with support.” Chloe Ní Mháille, Community Work Ireland, speaking on Climate Justice

Delighted to hear from some of our member organisations on key aspects of our Submission:
Chloe Ní Mháille - Community Work Ireland
Annie Waithira Burke - AkiDwA
Paula Soraghan - Independent Living Movement Ireland
Emilia Marchelewska - Cairde

Some of the key points from Women's Economic Equality Coordinator, Dónal Swan's presentation. Read more: www.nwci.ie/images/uploa...

Women's Economic Equality Coordinator, Dónal Swan, shares a presentation that gives context and breaks down NWC's Pre Budget Submission

NWC has identified four key areas to advance gender equality in Budget 2026:
🔸Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)
🔸Women’s Mental Health
🔸Energy Justice
🔸Tackling Violence Against Women
Read our full PBS: www.nwci.ie/images/uploa...

"Standing up for women’s rights and equality is needed now more than ever and budget 2026 is a chance for the government to lay down a marker for women’s equality and equality for all." Orla O'Connor, NWC Director

Today, NWC is launching our Pre-Budget Submission 2026, calling on Government to lay down a marker for women’s rights and gender equality, as it launches its first budget. #Budget2026

Great to meet the Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll McNeill to discuss NWC's priorities across women's health. This included key asks in our upcoming Pre-Budget Submission to expand and improve access to women's health services

#WomensHealthMatters #WomensHealth

The Government has promised twenty additional judges by January 2026, with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan stating he is "actively" working with his department to deliver on this commitment.

#VAW #EndVAW

These rising figures are deeply concerning and highlight the urgent need for stronger preventative measures, greater support for survivors, and increased investment in our judicial system to deliver timely justice.

Rise of 13.6% in new sexual offences, says Courts Service The number of new sexual offences has increased by 13.6%, according to the Courts Service's annual report for 2024.

The Courts Service annual report shows a 13.6% rise in new sexual offences in 2024, alongside a 6.3% overall increase in criminal matters before the courts. Cases at the Central Criminal Court, remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels at 35%.

www.rte.ie/news/2025/07...

#VAW #EndVAW