This report builds on the extensive cross-border experience and expertise of groups working to address violence against women and girls (VAWG). With a relationship cultivated over years of collaboration through the All Island Women’s Forum (AIWF), the National Women’s Council (NWC) and Women’s Aid Federation Northern Ireland (WAFNI) developed the North-South Cooperation to tackle Violence Against Women (VAW) project, aiming to foster practical cooperation and develop all-island strategies to combat intimate partner violence (IPV) and support victims and survivors.

The aim of the report is to amplify survivor experiences across the island, to reflect on the epidemic of violence in both jurisdictions, to make visible how the border is an issue for consistency in supports available for survivors, and to highlight the vital role that civil society organisations play in both jurisdictions in this area. This report does not aim to provide an action plan but seeks to highlight how the border affects the recognition and consistent response to intimate partner violence, including cross-border collaboration and its impact on women and children across the island of Ireland. It serves as the beginning of a dialogue on IPV issues, with the goal of deepening and expanding collaboration in the future.