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Last Saturday, November 26^th, was the fundraising event Whistles for refugees organized in order to raise donations for a refugee camp in France. The night was filled with interesting talks and lots of music. Amanda Cosgrove and Rachel Apfelbaum, two students from the MA in Gender, Rights and Globalisation, gave a thought provoking presentation in which they discussed gender-based violence in relation to refugees.

Amnesty International describes gender-based violence as: “violence committed against a person because of their gender. This includes violence against women and girls but also violence targeted towards individuals on the basis of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity/expression and also men who may be targeted due to discriminatory attitudes about what constitutes masculinity.” Amanda and Rachel discussed gender-based violence of both women and men. In their conclusion they shared some solutions provided by NGOs and the United Nations to fight gender-based violence. The evening was recorded and will soon be posted on the Whistles for refugees Facebook page.

The presentation was a part of the 16 Days Campaign of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The next activity will be Tuesday, November 30^th . The documentary “Sex in a Cold Climate” will be screened in conjunction with the NUI Galway Feminist Society. The documentary shows the experiences of several women in the Magdalene Laundries. The entry is free, the screening starts at 3 pm in  the Patrick F. Fottrell Theatre, Arts Millennium building, NUIG campus.  

If you want to know more about this topic, follow the Global Women’s Studies on twitter (@GlobalWS_NUIG). They will share ‘facts’ on violence against women drawn from recent research and analysis each day during the 16 Days of Activism.

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