Meath Women's Refuge & Support Services launched a new podcast series on 8th July, 'Close to Home: Conversations about Domestic Violence' with host Elaine Keogh and recorded at The Podcast Studio Dublin. Domestic violence is endemic in Ireland with 1 in 4 women affected throughout their lifetime.

We developed this podcast because we believe talking about domestic and gender based violence is a crucial step to creating a society where violence against women is no longer tolerated. We hope listeners in Meath and beyond will tune in to the podcast as we break down the myths and explore the realities around domestic violence, learn from the experiences of survivors, and encourage anyone that needs support for themselves or a loved one, to come forward for help.

The six part series was released weekly over July and August 2024 and is available on all major podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify etc).

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6yrPceymjzv3J6Co5xlmQQ

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/close-to-home/id1756106366

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Episode 1: Women Connecting. The first episode features Berny McMahon, who helped establish the refuge close to 40 years ago, as well as current Chairperson Sinead Gogan.

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Episode 2: Recognising an Abusive Relationship. Amanda and Claudia from our Outreach Team discuss red flags, tactics of abuse and its impact.

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Episode 3: Reaching out for Support. Amanda and Claudia continue the conversation on barriers to leaving abusive relationships and what supports are available.

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Episode 4: How Children are impacted by Domestic Violence. We're joined by Lane Galvin, midwife, and Naomi and Katie from our children's team to discuss the impact of domestic violence during pregnancy and on children and what supports are available.

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Episode 5: Seeking Justice. Detective Sargent Laura Sweeney joins the discussion to talk about how the response of An Garda Síochána to domestic violence has changed and the complexities involved in the courts process which can be a juggernaut.

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Episode 6: The Future - Towards Zero Tolerance. Denise Charlton, Community Foundation Ireland and Marney O'Regan, Choose Respect Nenagh, join us to discuss what we doing in Ireland to tackle the high prevalence of gender based violence and the role of the community.

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We acknowledge and appreciate support from Meta which made the production of this podcast possible.

Meath Women’s Refuge & Support Services operate a 24 hour helpline for women in Meath available at 1800 46 46 46 or for more information visit www.dvservicesmeath.ie

www.alwayshere.ie has a list of all national and local services for victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland.

Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services welcome feedback and ideas for future episodes at podcast@dvservicesmeath.ie

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