NexusStratify

PhD Candidate, Associate Lecturer, Research interests - equality, diversity, inclusion in education & labour market. Irish. Catholic.

[Tochukwu UI/UX @Habibat456]

🦜

[ABC for Justice @AllianceBirth]

𝟒𝟑𝟑 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝟔𝟗 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝.

A new report by Safe Ireland has found that 1,872 women fleeing domestic abuse were unable to access refuge accommodation during the second half of 2025 because of a shortage of beds, accommodation, staffing and resources.

The findings come from a one-day census carried out on 28 January 2026 across 38 domestic and gender-based violence support services, revealing the growing pressure on frontline services.

On the day of the census:

* 850 adults and 324 children were receiving support.
* 162 women and 93 children were staying in emergency refuges.
* 29 pregnant women were accessing services.
* Support services received 235 helpline calls, including 66 requests for housing assistance.

Safe Ireland said the housing crisis is now the single greatest barrier preventing women from escaping abusive relationships. Many survivors were living in emergency accommodation, unsafe housing, refuges, or remained living with their abuser because they had nowhere else to go.

The report found that Ireland currently has just 172 refuge units, well below the nearly 500 units required under the Istanbul Convention, which Ireland ratified seven years ago.

Interim CEO Christine Lodge described the findings as “very shocking”. She said women are increasingly asking helplines whether they will become homeless if they leave an abusive partner, while many are reluctant to bring their children into refuges because they fear long-term homelessness.

The census also highlighted the changing nature of abuse. More than half of all women surveyed had experienced technology-facilitated abuse, including threatening messages, location tracking, hacking of online accounts, constant phone calls and online humiliation. More than 62% had experienced financial abuse, including being prevented from accessing money or employment.

The report also identified significant problems within the family law system. During the census period, 433 survivors applied for court orders against perpetrators, but only 69 were granted barring orders, which require an abusive partner to leave the family home. Many survivors reported experiencing significant emotional distress during court proceedings, particularly where cross-examination, child custody disputes and coercive control were involved.

Women aged 25 to 44 made up the largest group accessing services. Among those seeking help, many were renting, living in refuge accommodation, sharing a mortgaged home with their abuser, or staying in emergency homeless accommodation.

The findings come as Women’s Aid reported a record 62,275 disclosures of domestic abuse during 2025, a 33% increase on the previous year. Separately, Central Statistics Office figures showed an 8% increase in female victims of assault and related offences during the first three months of 2026.

Housing Minister James Browne is bringing proposals to Cabinet to allow domestic violence survivors to retain their place on social housing waiting lists if they move to another local authority area. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan is also considering new Garda powers that would allow officers to remove alleged perpetrators from the family home in high-risk domestic violence cases.

Safe Ireland is calling for a coordinated, whole-of-government response to address the combined crises in housing, refuge capacity and D services.

[TheQualitativeReport @TheQualReport]

News and Notes
We are seeking new energetic and dedicated reviewers to join The Qualitative Report’s (TQR) Editorial Board!

https://t.co/iALu8wld7R

#tqr #research #qualitative #qualitativeresearch #thequalreport

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@SurvivalZippy Cool dog 👍

[ABC for Justice @AllianceBirth]

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎’𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫

Debbie McCann @debbieatmos reports in today’s Irish Mail on Sunday on former Garda Margaret Loftus who delivered a powerful condemnation earlier this week of Ireland’s family court system, saying it allowed her abusive former husband to continue controlling her long after the abuse itself had ended.

Speaking at the launch of Women’s Aid’s latest annual impact report alongside Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan, Ms Loftus said that every time she entered the family courts, she felt that both she and her children were placed at further risk.

She told those attending the event that the family law system became another avenue through which her former husband was able to continue exercising coercive control. According to Ms Loftus, the courts failed to protect her and instead became what she described as a “conduit” for further abuse. She argued that women should not have to endure additional trauma from a justice system that is supposed to provide protection.

Ms Loftus, herself a survivor of domestic abuse and now an advocate for reform, received a standing ovation after describing how the legal process repeatedly re-traumatised her. She called for mandatory trauma-informed training across the judicial system, saying judges, lawyers and all professionals involved in family law proceedings need a far greater understanding of domestic abuse and coercive control.

She described the experience as being “brought to my knees” by simultaneously living through abuse and being told that Ireland had zero tolerance for violence against women. While that public message suggested victims would be protected, she said her own experience of the family courts told a very different story.

Ms Loftus explained that although coercive control is recognised in Irish law, she believes the family justice system itself became coercively controlling. She said her former husband was granted full legal aid, which she later had removed, enabling him to continue exerting legal pressure through repeated court proceedings. She said he “thrived and flourished” within both the family law and criminal court systems.

She recalled that after her former husband, fellow Garda Trevor Bolger, received a three-month suspended sentence in January for assaulting her in front of their young children, she was later permitted to censor and rewrite her own victim impact statement in a way that made it easier for her to cope emotionally. While she appreciated that opportunity, she said the cumulative effect of the abuse and the legal proceedings left her questioning her own reality.

Ms Loftus described her former partner’s behaviour as subtle but relentless. She said she found it difficult to explain to others what was happening because the abuse was psychological rather than always physical. She said she now finds it “unbelievable” that the family court system allowed her abuser’s controlling behaviour to flourish.

One of her most striking observations was that every time she entered the family courts she felt her children were “up for grabs”. She argued that despite legal recognition of coercive control, her experience of the courts was itself characterised by what she called “coercive control on speed”. She claimed her former husband gained access to every aspect of her life through disclosure orders, enabling him to maintain control long after the relationship had ended.

While encouraging other victims of domestic abuse to come forward, Ms Loftus stressed that Government must ensure that systems designed to protect victims do not themselves inflict additional trauma. She said the justice system should never become another instrument through which perpetrators continue to abuse and control their victims.

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@NC_Renic 🤣🤣

[EWTN Vatican @EWTNVatican]

Special Olympics swimmer Gabriele Di Bello shares a powerful story of faith, perseverance, and inclusion, proving that Down syndrome does not define a person's future.
https://t.co/BmhtpuyxYV

[BUCHANAN: Dublin Time Machine @RobLooseCannon]

After watching Crimecall on RTE where the families of Deirdre Jacob and Jojo Dullard are appealing again, I`m sharing the details of those missing womens, as members of both women's families previously asked me to post about them in the hopes someone who knows will have the strenght of character to come forward with information Crime Call is 1800 40 50 60. Alternately all the other local numbers are below each set of details.

An 18-year-old student teacher called Deirdre Jacob was back home in Kildare, on her summer break from St Mary’s University in London. She vanished almost in sight of her own front gate on the 28th of July 1998.

Deirdre set out that day to do some messages in Newbridge town, walking the familiar 20-minute route from her parents’ gaff in Roseberry. Her precise movements were captured CCTV At 2:18 pm they saw her at the AIB, withdrawing a bank draft for her student accommodation rent. By 2:26 pm she was seen posting that draft at the Post Office. Deirdre was chatting with a friend at 2:32 pm.

Then shortly after 3 pm she was seen walking the quiet road toward home. She was carrying a black satchel-type bag with the bright yellow letters “CAT”. Deirdre was 5’3”, slim, grey-green eyes, dark chin-length hair. Witnesses saw her just metres from safety. The gate to her house nearly in view, when she disappeared.

For years Gardaí treated Deirdre’s case as a missing person’s investigation. In 2018, after a comprehensive review by the Serious Crime Review Team, the case was reclassified as a murder investigation.

Despite thousands of lines of inquiry and hundreds of appeals, no charges have ever been brought. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) reviewed Garda files in 2022 and directed that no charges be laid at that time.

One suspect in her case is Larry Murphy, the convicted rapist and kidnapper. His former cellmate later told Gardaí Murphy had confessed to killing a young woman in Kildare, claiming he stopped to ask for directions before dragging her into his vehicle and killing her when she resisted. Thist uncorroborated allegation became part of the renewed case file sent to the DPP.

Gardaí have never been able to place Murphy in Newbridge on the afternoon of July 28, 1998, and repeated appeals for independent witnesses to confirm his presence have failed to produce definitive links.

Deirdre’s father, Michael Jacob, has at times urged the public not to fixate only on Murphy, fearing that speculation might deter other witnesses from coming forward. Other leads, including reported sightings in Dublin in the days after her disappearance, are unverified.

As of early 2026, the case remains open and active, a testament to both Garda persistence and the limits of investigative power. Deirdre’s parents, Michael and Bernadette Jacob, still make public appeals on national media.

If you have any details contact:
Kildare Garda Station
045-521222

Newbridge Garda Station: 045-431212

Garda Confidential Line:
1800 666 111

Serious Crime Review Team: 01-6663444

[Billie Jean King @BillieJeanKing]

53 years ago yesterday, on June 21, 1973, nearly 60 women tennis players met at the Gloucester Hotel to form what is now known as the WTA.

While some of the founding members have passed on, others are fortunately still here.

Building the foundation of women's sports was not easy, but l am so glad to see how far we've come. I remain full of gratitude for all of their hard work, which made what we accomplished together possible.

(Photo from 2023 50th anniversary trip back to the Gloucester.)

[Malala Yousafzai @Malala]

The EU has invited Taliban officials to Brussels to discuss a migration deal — and today I am shaken and deeply disturbed by this.

This is the same Taliban that banned girls from secondary schools and forced them into marriage. The same Taliban that, earlier this month, arrested dozens of women in Herat for how they were dressed. The same Taliban that detains, beats and executes women who dare to speak out or break their rules.

Through its system of gender apartheid, the Taliban have erased women and girls from public life. Europe must not legitimise a regime responsible for one of the worst human rights crises in the world.

Any engagement with the Taliban must begin and end with the rights of Afghan women and girls.

[Boyne News @BoyneNews]

Gardaí are seeking the public’s assistance in tracing the whereabouts of 51-year-old Nichola Turner (McCormack) – also goes by Nickie - who is reported missing from her home in Kells, Co. Meath, since Saturday 20th June 2026.

Nichola was last seen on Thursday 18th June 2026 at approximately 1pm.

Nichola is described as being 5 feet 5 inches in height, with a slim build, auburn hair and green eyes.

Nichola is believed to have access to a 151MN-Reg blue Ford Mondeo.

Gardaí and Nichola’s family are concerned for her well-being.
Anyone with information on Nichola’s whereabouts is asked to contact Kells Garda Station on [phone], the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station

[Jahanzib Wesa @jahanzibwesa]

Afghan woman is crying in unbearable pain. Her voice carries the pain of millions of women in Afghanistan.

She says: “The Taliban fired at my heart and at my head because I demanded my rights, my education, and my freedom. They attacked us Afghan women, harassed us, and tried to silence us for raising our voices.”

Her tears are not just tears, they are the cries of a nation’s daughters being abandoned by the world.

Every tear she sheds tells a story of suffering, fear, and broken dreams.
It is heartbreaking to witness women begging for their basic rights while the world remains silent.

How much more pain must Afghan women endure before the world finally listens?

Where is the United Nations? Where is the international community? Where is the EU? Why are you silent?

The silence is heartbreaking. The silence is painful. The silence is dangerous.
This silence is enabling normalization.

I call on each of you: raise your voice. Stand for humanity. Stand for Afghan women’s rights. Stand for women’s and girls’ education. Stand against gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

Silence in the face of oppression is complicity. The women and girls of Afghanistan must not be abandoned.

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@CatholicArena Janey Mac - she seemed very aggressive! Would like to hear the entire exchange. Privileged or not, if the man is an expert in his field surely he has valuable insights that can contribute to the debate & should be given space in the conversation, respectfully?

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@realJosiahBurke @EnochBurke “His crime: refusing to accept that you can be suspended for not endorsing LGBTQ+ ideology.” - to be fair, that’s not the truth, is it?

[An Brasan Fada 🇮🇪🇮🇪 @an_brasan]

I've been fairly quiet on here lately.

Partly because going back to work had to take priority. But mostly because I've been building something in the background.

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I quickly realised that most support focuses on appointments, scans and treatment, and everything is spoken about in medical and clinical terminology that not everyone might be able to understand, especially in those circumstances.

What nobody really prepares you for is everything in between.

The waiting.
The uncertainty.
The fear.

The practical reality of trying to keep living your life while carrying all of that weight

So I built something.

Between Appointments™ is a new project based on lived experience. Honest, practical support for people living with cancer and serious illness. For immediately after diagnosis, throughout treatment, and beyond.

The website is now live and I hope to build it into a complete support ecosystem.

https://t.co/g7E6ql7Wnv

If you think it might help someone you know, I'd really appreciate if you could share it.

Everybody knows someone whose life has been affected by cancer.

You can also follow the project on here @BetweenAppts

And thank you again, so much, to everyone who reached out after I shared my diagnosis. The support was so much more than I ever could have expected, it helped me through some really tough times and I'll never forget it.

This is my way of trying to give something back.

My first appointment since chemo finished is next Tues, and I'll keep you all updated.

[Bob Golen @BobGolen]

Whoever came up with "penny for your thoughts," "don't nickel and dime me," and "another day another dollar" sure knew how to coin a phrase.

[NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga]

My Stateside friend swears the Irish are calm people. Then I watched a man describe his afternoon for forty minutes and call a flooded kitchen "grand," and I understood I had walked into a nation of unbreakable warriors.

The pub was the size of a small front room, and it held the whole town. A pipe had burst at the farm. The water reached the man's knees. He told it like a legend, every detail, the dog, the neighbor, the bucket that betrayed him, and at the end he shrugged and said, "Ah, it's grand."

Grand. I leaned to the woman beside me and whispered that this man's stoicism in disaster was the finest discipline I had seen abroad. She blinked at me. "Sure, that's just Tuesday," she said.

Just Tuesday. So the flood was nothing, an ordinary trial endured without complaint, and I had badly underestimated these people. I resolved to match them. When the barman asked how my evening was going, I gave him the full account, my journey, my confusion, my growing respect, a speech worthy of the occasion.

He listened to all of it, nodding, then set down a pint. "Grand," he said. "Will you have another?"

Will you have another. I had poured out my heart and been answered with a single word and a refill. I thought I had failed to move him. So I tried harder, telling the next story longer, reaching for the weight that would finally earn a reaction bigger than grand.

An old farmer at the bar finally put a hand on my arm, kind about it. "Lad," he said, "grand is the highest word we have. You're doing great. Now breathe."

Grand is the highest word we have. The whole code turned over in my head. Their calm was not armor against suffering. It was a way of holding the day lightly, of refusing to let a burst pipe or a long winter become bigger than a good story told warm in a small room. They were not enduring the night. They were enjoying it, at length, on purpose.

I stopped performing my feelings and just let the talk wash around me, a hundred sentences going nowhere good and arriving anyway. Three hours passed. Nothing happened. It was, and I mean this with all my honor, grand.

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@japan_nobunaga "The drawer does not need order. It needs to be opened with hope, and closed with acceptance." best description I've ever read of the purpose and function of The Junk Drawer 😅

[Dr Ida Milne @milnem]

@CarlowCollege is being closed over two years, with all 87 staff being made redundant and all programmes wound down. Some of us will be made redundant immediately, some kept on a year by year basis. We still do not know who. Or what the workloads will be. This was not the plan.

[NexusStratify @NexusStratify]

@MattVautour424 😂😂