The Dead Flower Shop will open Dublin today to remember the 274 women killed in violent circumstances in Ireland since 1996.
The opening on Grafton street coincides with the launch by Women's Aid of the The Ally Action List.
The online resource aims to help men better understand how they can become allies in ending gender inequality and gender-based violence.
‘The Dead Flower Shop’ willl open this Valentine’s Day, Friday 14th February, located at 110 Grafton Street, Dublin 2.
Women’s Aid CEO, Sarah Benson, said: “Valentine’s Day is the one day that men are collectively thinking about their partners. We are opening The Dead Flower Shop to leverage that collective focus to highlight the very real and growing issue of violence against women and femicide. As men enter flower shops across the country, to buy Valentine’s Day flowers for their partners, The Dead Flower Shop will be a reminder of women who were killed by theirs,”.
Open to the public for one day only, The Dead Flower Shop will look like a normal flower shop but, once people enter, they will see an exhibition of dead flowers. Eight bouquets have been designed and arranged to represent a select number of women in Ireland who have been killed by their current or former partners. At the centre of the exhibition, a larger bouquet of 274 dead roses will collectively represent and remember each of the 274 women killed in violence circumstances in Ireland since 1996.
Speaking about the campaign, Phillip Gronemeyer, Allianz CEO, said:
“We have been a Women’s Aid partner for over three years now and never have we seen a more urgent need to address attitudes and behaviours. Violence against women is increasing and we are all too aware of the shocking number of femicide cases that have dominated the news in recent times. It is only by our community as a whole coming together that we can drive the positive change needed to shift the dial on violence against women so we would like more men to get involved.
Working closely with Women’s Aid with the additional support of the Men’s Development Network, we have developed the Ally Action List. We are calling on men across the country to engage with the resource and encouraging them to become more aware of what part they can play when it comes to ending violence against women. We’ve shared this resource with our employees at Allianz and encourage other business leaders to do the same.”
The premises for the Dead Flower Shop at 110 Grafton Street was kindly donated by Irish Life.
Women's Aid CEO Sarah Benson alongside Geoff Sparling from Allianz Ireland
Ally Action List
In an effort to highlight and tackle the endemic societal issue of male violence against women in Ireland, Allianz and Women’s Aid have launched, the ‘Ally Action List’.
The Ally Action List is an online resource that aims to help men better understand how they can become allies in ending gender inequality and gender-based violence and how they can adopt more supportive attitudes and behaviours, moving Ireland closer towards a zero tolerance society.
Research, conducted by Women’s Aid and Core*, shows that despite many men wanting to help, a key barrier is that they are not sure how. The Ally Action List is a practical guide to being a male ally, with the aim of removing that barrier.
The Ally Action List is available at womensaid.ie/men.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, please contact Women’s Aid 24hr National Freephone Helpline on 1800 341 900.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
