Women’s Aid is delighted and privileged to announce the opening of an honest and thought-provoking pop-up art exhibition in East Belfast entitled, ‘Hear My Voice, Hear Her Voice, Hear Our Voice: The Creative Work of Survivors of Domestic Abuse’ as part of our International Women’s Day 2022 celebrations.
This exhibition features pieces by women who have been supported by Women’s Aid throughout Northern Ireland and includes paintings, embroidery, photography and creative writing, each piece mapping their personal lived experiences of domestic abuse.
We hope that women’s stories of resilience, courage and creativity will inspire the public to think about how, as a society, we can do better by domestic abuse survivors and their children. We also hope that this exhibition will show a story of hope and resilience for other survivors yet to come forward.
Sarah Mason, CEO of Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland said:
“Women’s Aid are thrilled to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 with an exhibition of amazing creative work by women who have been supported by Women’s Aid across Northern Ireland. This is a testament to the bravery of these women, their voices have already been heard by policymakers, and now they are sharing their stories with the general public to raise awareness of the many forms that domestic abuse can take, and to improve the lives of women, girls, and young people throughout Northern Ireland.”
Claire Hall, Programme Manager Banana Block/Urban Scale Interventions, commented:
‘We are proud to be able to host such a valuable exhibition as part of our International Women’s Day celebrations’.
John Healy, Vice President and Managing Director, Allstate NI, said:
“Allstate NI are delighted to have supported the Women’s Aid’s Hear Her Voice campaign to highlight the violent, abusive and often life-threatening situations many women face.” said John Healy, managing director of Allstate NI. “We are proud to mark International Women’s Day with this partnership and will continue our advocacy to end domestic violence and foster a society where women can live and work without the fear of violence or discrimination.”
The exhibition will be held in the ‘What’s The Story?’ space within Banana Block, a new living museum and events space in the Portview Trade Centre. The exhibition will be launched by renowned Northern Ireland artist Sara O’Neill on the evening of 8th March, to coincide with International Women’s Day 2022.
Admission to the exhibition is free, and it will be open to the general public on the following dates and times:
Wednesday 9th March 2pm to 5pm
Thursday 10th March 4pm to 8pm
Friday 11th March 1pm to 4pm
Saturday 12th March 12pm to 3pm
Sunday 13th March 12pm to 3pm
The exhibition is located at ‘What’s The Story?’, Banana Block, Portview Trade Centre, 310 Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 1HE
The project’s findings, along with its creative outputs, can be found at www.womensaidni.org:
Support and information are available at:
- www.womensaidni.org including information on the local Women’s Aid centres covering all of Northern Ireland
- To contact police, call the non-emergency ‘101’ number or call ‘999’ in an emergency. There is a Silent Solutions Service which enables a 999 caller who is too scared to make a noise, or speak, to press 55 when prompted.
- The 24-hour Domestic and Sexual Abuse Helpline (managed by Nexus) is available to anyone who has concerns about domestic or sexual abuse 0808 802 1414.
- Those wishing to make a donation to support the work of Women’s Aid Northern Ireland should visit: justgiving.com/campaign/Unlockthelockdown
Women’s Aid 2020/2021 Statistics
- The PSNI recorded 31,196 domestic abuse incidents and 19,036 domestic abuse crimes
- Police responded to a domestic abuse incident every 17 minutes
- 12 women have been murdered by a male partner or relative in NI since lockdown began in March 2020
- 530 women and 319 children stayed in Women’s Aid refuges
- 6,005 women and 6,450 children accessed outreach support through Women’s Aid
- 10 babies were born in Women’s Aid refuges
Ends
For further media information, please contact:
Sonya McMullan
Regional Services Manager
Sonya.mcmullan@womensaidni.org
Tel: 07795097750
Sarah Mason
CEO, Women’s Aid Federation
Sarah.mason@womensaidni.org
Tel: 07894352065