WUNRN
IRELAND - Press
Release:
Speaking
About the Past for a Healthier Future: The Impact of the Border and the
Conflict on Women's Health and Roles
5
February 2008
Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) and Derry Well Woman.
A groundbreaking report launched today (5 February 2008) documents how the health and wellbeing of women were shaped by the violence and disruption of conflict.
The Report, Women speaking across the border: the impact of the border and the conflict on women’s health and roles also shows that the peace process has brought with it the potential for advancements in the general and mental health of women of all ages in Ireland.
While women continue to face structural barriers in being able to access services, mental health and wellbeing is increasingly recognised as being crucial to healthy communities and societies.
Speaking on behalf of IPH, Dr Leslie Boydell emphasised the importance of this research to understanding women’s role in a post conflict society
“Irrespective of their faith, ethno-political background or location, women’s lives were impacted on by the conflict. Restrictions were placed on their ability to ‘live a normal life’ or to access particular goods, services or social activities because of the border and the conflict.”
“For many women, the disruption to day to day life caused by poverty was exacerbated by the conflict. It had a real impact on the life choices they made. Many were forced into the labour market because of adverse family circumstances, including the loss of the family’s breadwinner through death, injury and incarceration. While this enabled some women to achieve a degree of independence, for many, it came as an unwelcome necessity in an already busy life.”
“Increased responsibilities were not necessarily accompanied by increased support systems and, as a result, women’s general health and wellbeing was often considered secondary to those of other family members, and the coping mechanisms they called on sometimes compounded underlying and undetected ill health.”
One woman interviewed said
“Women’s health just wasn’t an issue. It’s only in recent years, maybe the past five years, that I see women really taking an interest in their health. They used to just think it was their lot to live with stress and anxiety, that they weren’t entitled to have a life for themselves, they were there for everyone else.”
Karen Meehan of Derry Well Woman commented
“Derry Well Woman has, for twenty years, been delivering Health and Social Care services to women from across the North West of Ireland. It is vital to our remaining at the forefront of Women's Health that we understand and respond to the impact of the Troubles on womens health and womens lives.”
“Since the ceasefires and the Good Friday Agreement, women are increasingly willing to become involved in cross community and cross border community development initiatives on shared issues such as health and education. They consider that they are actively contributing to a ‘post conflict’ society by sharing resources, personal experiences and history with women from other traditions.”
“Derry Well Woman welcomes the fact that health practitioners and women themselves are now placing more value on gender specific health care and that an increase in cross border co-operation for health care provision is a real benefit of the peace process.”
This research was conducted on behalf of the Cross Border Women’s Health Network and Derry Well Woman by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) in association with the Institute for Conflict Research and Rethink.
For further information contact:
Gráinne Walsh on 028 9087 2800 or 079 2016 5600 or Arlene McKay on 02890 648494
Notes to Editors
Report Authors
This research was commissioned by Derry Well Woman and carried out on its
behalf by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland in association with the
Institute for Conflict Research and ReThink.
Leslie Boydell, Associate Director, and Jorun Rugkåsa, Research Officer
(until September 2006), IPH, were responsible for leading this research.
Siobhan Livingstone, Research Assistant (until May 2007), undertook the
fieldwork and initial analysis.
Jennifer Hamilton, Senior Research Officer, Institute for Conflict Research,
co-authored the literature review
Katy Radford, Independent Researcher co-authored the final report
Derry Well Woman
Derry Well Woman is a Health Centre for Women. Located in Derry we
provide services to approximately 400 women per week from across the North West
of Ireland.
Services include Counselling, Screening, Complementary Therapies courses, We
run a comprehensive range of Child and Family Support Programmes including an
in house crèche.
Since 2001 Derry Well Woman has been involved in Cross Border working. It
led the development of Other Borders – a Cross Border Health Strategy for women
and is now leading the Cross Border Women's Health Network.
The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH)
IPH was set up to seek practical advantages from building co-operation for
public health between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We
work in four areas: policy advice, information, research and capacity building
and our objective is to tackle inequalities in health and improve the health of
the public.
Methodology
The research had two distinct aims:
• to improve understanding of the impact of the border and of the
conflict on both sides of the border on women’s health
• to improve understanding of women’s roles, particularly as they impact
on mental health, in post conflict society
The research was conducted with a view to its recommendations being used to inform the work of the Cross Border Women’s Health Network as well as other cross border health forums or organisations responsible for service planning and delivery.
The findings are based on a series of 31 in-depth interviews and one focus group with women both north and south of the border and on one focus group and six interviews with women who were specifically consulted as service providers.
Cross Border Women’s Health Network
The Cross Border Women’s Health Network has been developed and is led by
Derry Well Woman. The Network is committed to collaborative action to
improve health status and reduce health inequalities both within the North West
of Ireland and other parts of Ireland.
Network members:
Northern Ireland Statutory Organisations
Business in the Community, CAWT, Centre for Cross Border Studies, Derry City
Council, Equality Commission for NI, Fermanagh District Council, Limavady
Borough Council, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Omagh District Council,
Social Security Agency, Strabane District Council, Western Education and
Library Board, Western Health and Social Care Trust, Western Health and Social
Services Board
Northern Ireland Voluntary Organisations
Derry Well Woman, Fermanagh Women’s Network, Foyle Women’s Aid, Foyle Women’s
Information Network, Roe Valley Women’s Network, Strabane and Lifford Women’s
Centre
Republic of Ireland Statutory Organisations
Combat Poverty Agency, Department of Social Inclusion, Donegal County Council,
Donegal Education Centre, Donegal Vocational Education Committee, Health
Services Executive – North West Division, Leitrim County Council, Leitrim
Vocational Educational Committee, Sligo County Council, Sligo Education Centre,
Sligo Vocational Education Committee
Republic of Ireland Voluntary Organisations
Border Action, County Leitrim Partnership, Donegal Women’s Network, Inishowen
Partnership, Inishowen Women’s Information Network, Inishowen Women’s Outreach,
Sligo Leader Partnership, Women’s Health Council (of Ireland)
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