Clare Libraries is delighted to accept a donation of books from Haven Horizons as part of the “16 Day of Activism” campaign against domestic abuse and coercive control. The annual donation by Haven Horizons is part of the ‘16 Days’ of Action global campaign aimed at raising awareness and taking action to end Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based abuse locally, nationally, and internationally.
Madeline McAleer, Research, Training and Development Director of Haven Horizons said, “This donation is vital when you consider that 2022 was the deadliest year in a decade for women and children in Ireland. Educating people about Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control is crucial as victims and members of the public often don’t recognise the red flags or the risk in intimate relationships.”
The ’16 Days’ runs from 25 November, the UN Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December 2023, International Human Rights Day.
Handing over the books in De Valera Library, Madeline McAleer, Research and Development Director of Haven Horizons said: “Haven Horizons is proud to make this donation. Haven Horizons was set up to educate people about Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control and to bring about the changes in attitudes and beliefs that are needed to eliminate Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control.”
Thanking Haven Horizons for the book donations from 2018-2023, Dolores Meaney, Senior Executive Librarian with Clare Libraries said: “We welcome this new donation of recently published and seminal books on Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control by Haven Horizons. These 70 titles, some of which are also available as audiobooks, help to raise awareness of an important topic. The library service is now a national service, so any books that are donated can be requested at any branch around the country. This donation will not just benefit people from Co. Clare, it will benefit people nationwide” she said.
Madeline Mc Aleer commented that: “When Minister McEntee launched The Third National Strategy on DSGBV she said that we would need to address the attitudes that underpin domestic abuse. This book donation by Haven Horizons is part of that strategy. It allows anyone to go into their local branch and access books that will not only educate them but could ultimately save their life.”
The books range from a Sunday Times bestseller, Melanie Brown’s (Spice Girl) memoir Brutally Honest, to the groundbreaking book Coercive Control by Professor Evan Stark to Stopping Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education by Clarissa Humphreys & Graham Towl.
Brutally Honest is an expose of the struggles and acute pain that lay behind Spice Girl, Melanie Brown’s glamour and success. The book reveals the horror of her marriage and her 10-year struggle to be free from Domestic Abuse and Coercive Control.
Coercive Control-How Men Entrap Women in Personal Life is one of the most important books ever written on Coercive Control or what author Professor Evan Stark has termed ‘intimate terrorism’. It challenges the harmful and entrenched view that domestic abuse consists solely of physical abuse and informs us that coercively controlled behaviour is more dangerous and higher risk.
Stopping Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education provides a unique insight into how gender-based violence at universities is impacting students and staff and outlines the path toward tangible changes that can prevent it.
A full list of the books donated since 2018 is available on the Haven Horizons website – www.havenhorizons.com
For anyone affected by domestic abuse contact:
Women’s Aid 24-hour national freephone helpline – 1800 341 900
Clare Haven Services – 24-hour confidential helpline – 065 6822435