Latest news with #ActionAidIreland
Irish Independent
28-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘It strips them of dignity' – more than 500m women across the world suffer due to period poverty, Irish charity says
ActionAid Ireland said today that millions of women, including hundreds of thousands in Gaza, lack access to safe menstrual products. The organisation added that this crisis fuels gender inequality and compromises women and girls' health and hygiene, forcing many to miss school, work, or social activities because they cannot afford menstrual care. Speaking ahead of World Menstrual Health Day tomorrow, ActionAid Ireland CEO, Karol Balfe, called for meaningful action in Ireland and abroad to tackle period poverty. She appealed for the universal provision of free menstrual hygiene products in schools, shelters, and public institutions to ensure that no girl or woman misses school or work due to lack of access. Ms Balfe added that this crisis is not 'just a health issue' but a 'gender equality issue' in Ireland and across the world. 'When women and girls cannot access safe, affordable menstrual products, it strips them of dignity and opportunity,' she said. She also highlighted the situation in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of women are unable to access period products. 'Hundreds of thousands of women in Gaza, on top of bombardments, air strikes and starvation, are suffering due to the fact they can't access menstrual products, soap and clean underwear during their periods. "The situation has been exacerbated following the aid blockade introduced by the Israeli Government on Gaza 12 weeks ago. 'Imagine being forced to miss school or work because you cannot afford a tampon or menstrual pad. Imagine bleeding through newspaper or rags because there's nothing else when you have your monthly period. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "Now imagine doing this while living in Gaza, under constant bombardment, in a freezing cold tent, with no hygiene kits, clean underwear, safe water, soap, or access to a toilet,' she added. ActionAid Ireland is now appealing to governments, such as Ireland, to provide women and girls with period products and other essentials during humanitarian crises, and fund free period product initiatives in low and middle-income countries. The charity is also calling on governments and NGOs to support education on menstrual health and rights, counter stigma on this topic, and fund grassroots women-led organisations to educate communities about menstruation, fight period shaming, and abolish dangerous customs. 'Menstruation is not dangerous,' Ms Balfe continued. 'It's not dirty. It's not a curse. It's a natural part of life – yet it's menstruation that causes unimaginable suffering for millions of girls and women around the world.' "In some parts, traditions and norms persist that mean that girls and women are forced to isolate themselves during their menstruation. 'This type of isolation can lead to both physical and mental illness – and in the worst case, danger to life. "It is a clear example of how myths and stigma surrounding menstruation create serious consequences for girls' and women's health, safety and human rights,' the CEO added.
Irish Times
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
A famine unfolding in real time
Sir, – It has been two long, harrowing months since Israel reinstated a total siege on Gaza , blocking the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid and commercial goods into a region already devastated by war. This marks the longest period Israel has blocked all aid and goods from entering Gaza. With community kitchens – one of the last remaining lifelines in Gaza – now threatened with closure, the world is witnessing a man-made famine unfolding in real time. Desperation has reached unspeakable levels. Mothers are boiling grass to feed their families. Children are suffering unbearable hunger, trauma, violence and abandonment. Gaza's hospitals, already crippled, are close to collapse, unable to function without essential medicines, vaccines and equipment. Women, girls and other vulnerable groups face escalating risks of gender-based violence. Stocks in aid warehouses are nearly gone. Palestinian organisations continue to seek to supply desperate communities through local markets, but they are facing eye-watering prices. READ MORE Yet world leaders are distracted, it seems, while the ethnic cleansing and likely genocide of Palestinians rages on. As the UN secretary general António Guterres put it: 'Gaza is a killing field, and its civilians are in an endless death loop.' The weaponisation of aid, including withholding food, water, healthcare and shelter, has led to a surge in preventable deaths and threatens the dignity and survival of Palestinians in Gaza. This is a preventable atrocity. And it does nothing to address the horror of the remaining hostages and their families. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified military operations in the occupied West Bank, severely disrupting humanitarian aid delivery there. This includes demolishing Palestinian homes, forcibly displacing approximately 40,000 people, and destroying critical infrastructure. World leaders must demand an immediate end to the blockade, and tough action must be taken against Israel and its shredding of international law. This brutal, illegal and devastating occupation of Palestinian territory and its people must end. The Irish Government must also play its part and honour its pre-election pledge to introduce the Occupied Territories Bill . This would show true leadership on one of the most devastating issues of our time. This is a moment of moral reckoning. – Yours, etc, KAROL BALFE, Chief executive, ActionAid Ireland, Dublin 1.
RTÉ News
03-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
'We have nothing to give them,' says aid worker in Gaza
Aid organisations operating in Gaza have warned that humanitarian efforts are on the verge of collapse, following two months of a total aid blockade by Israel. No food or medical supplies have entered Gaza since 2 March, and both international and local aid groups are running out of the few remaining resources, Amjad Rawwa, Executive Director of a Gaza-based Palestinian NGO network partnered with ActionAid Ireland, told RTÉ News. "Only one-tenth of community kitchens offering free food are still running. "They can provide people with just one dish of rice. There's no fresh food, no eggs, no milk - and no meat, for sure," he said. Without a resumption of humanitarian deliveries, those kitchens are expected to run out of food within days. Amid relentless bombardment, the daily search for water and food has become a desperate routine. "Each morning, one part of the family queues for water trucks, while others head to the community kitchens - waiting hours for a small portion of rice," Mr Rawwa said. Local markets offer little. Prices have soared, putting basic goods far beyond the reach of most families. A 25kg bag of flour now costs up to $350, while a kilo of tomatoes can fetch $15. "People have lost their income. They simply can't afford to buy anything. "I sometimes have to go to a community kitchen myself." The social and economic fabric of Gaza has been torn apart, Mr Rawwa added. Farms and food production facilities have been destroyed, leaving the enclave completely dependent on outside aid. "It's an engineered catastrophe," he added. Water access is also critically limited. Wells repaired during the ceasefire are now in evacuated areas, unreachable for many. No medical supplies have reached Gaza in the weeks of total blockade, with the lack of polio vaccines among the biggest fears for the aid groups. The few hospitals still functioning are overwhelmed, treating mostly those injured in airstrikes. The NGO network receives daily calls from residents pleading for insulin, heart medication and other life-saving treatments. "We have nothing to give them," Mr Rawwa said. Gaza also faces a mounting waste crisis threatening public health and hygiene. Waste collection systems have collapsed, and tonnes of rubbish now line the streets. Displaced families, forced to move repeatedly, are pitching tents amid the pollution. Mr Rawwa is calling for urgent international intervention to protect civilians - especially children. "They have big dreams. But if crossings aren't opened soon, I'm scared of what we'll see in the coming days." According to media reports, the United States, Israel and a new international foundation are close to agreeing a plan to resume humanitarian deliveries to Gaza, without them being controlled by Hamas.
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Man-made famine unfolding in Gaza
It has now been two long, harrowing months since Israel reinstated a total siege on Gaza, blocking the entry of life-saving humanitarian aid and commercial goods into a region already devastated by war. This marks the longest period Israel has blocked all aid and goods from entering Gaza in history. With community kitchens — one of the last remaining lifelines in Gaza — now threatened with closure, the world is witnessing a man-made famine unfolding in real time. Desperation has reached unspeakable levels. Mothers are boiling grass to feed their families. Children are suffering unbearable hunger, trauma, violence, and abandonment. Gaza's hospitals, already crippled, are close to collapse, unable to function without essential medicines, vaccines, and equipment. Women, girls, and other vulnerable groups face escalating risks of gender-based violence. Stocks in aid warehouses are nearly gone. Palestinian organisations continue to seek to supply desperate communities through local markets, but they are facing eye-watering prices. Yet world leaders are distracted it seems, while the ethnic cleansing and likely genocide of Palestinians rages on. As the UN Secretary-General put it, Gaza is a killing field, and its civilians are trapped in an endless death loop. The weaponisation of aid, including withholding food, water, healthcare, and shelter, has led to a surge in preventable deaths and threatens the dignity and survival of Palestinians in Gaza. This is a preventable atrocity. And it does nothing to address the horror of the remaining hostages and their families. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified military operations in the occupied West Bank, severely disrupting humanitarian aid delivery there. This includes demolishing Palestinian homes, forcibly displacing approximately 40,000 people, and destroying critical infrastructure. World leaders must demand an immediate end to the blockade, and tough action must be taken against Israel and its shredding of international law. Every hour of delay in restoring aid costs more lives. This brutal, illegal, and devastating occupation of Palestinian territory and its people must end. The Irish Government must also play its part; stop wavering, and honour its pre-election pledge to introduce the Occupied Territories Bill. This would show true leadership on one of the most devastating issues of our time. This is a moment of moral reckoning. A moment when the world must step up. Otherwise, history will not be kind. Karol Balfe, CEO ActionAid Ireland, Dublin Cork GPs condemn genocide of Palestinian people We the undersigned general practitioners of Cork, on April 29, 2025, wish to condemn the ongoing genocide being perpetrated on the Palestinian people by Israel, and call for the immediate expulsion of Israel from international medical organisations such as the World Health Organization and the World Medical Association. We demand that the Irish Medical Council, the Irish College of GPs, and the Irish colleges representing other specialties such as surgery, medicine, anaesthesiology, etc, echo this condemnation of Israel, and similarly call for its expulsion from the above organisations. Eugene Egan, Paul O'Keefe, Patrick Brady, Bob Townsend, Frank Hill, Nurua Zulifee, Jeremy Gibson, Patricia McMahon, Noelle O'Sullivan, Kate Marie Boyle, Adham Jaber, and Ken Harte, via email Increased military spending and price for peace Several recent public commentaries in the media and in the Irish Examinerhave made a compelling case for the increased military spending as the price of peace in Europe. This argument goes that Nato's presence and increased military expenditure may represent the price for peace and longer-term prosperity. To some extent, history supports this. The nuclear arms race between the US and USSR provides a classic example of such brinkmanship where the risk of collateral damage was so great that it acted as a deterrent to nuclear war. However, the reality is more complex than simple measures of military expenditure. During the 1990s, when average Nato military expenditure exceeded the 2% target, Europe experienced conflict in the Balkans. Neither did such spending deter Nato members from military interventions in third countries. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here While it is true that military spending boosts economic growth through what is known as military Keynesianism, this spending is often capital-intensive and wasteful compared to other forms of investment. Analysing US military spending in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the economist Leslie Fishman noted that because governments typically seek to keep their own military casualties low, military expenditure is necessarily much more capital-intensive than other sectors of the economy. This means that the current European efforts to repurpose industrial facilities for military purposes may lead to poor long-term returns. Moreover, the casualties from the US war efforts since the 1950 were of such magnitude that it made any cost-benefit analysis meaningless. On the other hand, Fishman noted that post-war initiatives such as the Marshall Plan had a high return for the US, keeping the Soviet Union at bay for relatively small outlays. Finally, military spending is often itself destabilising. US efforts to contain communist China during the 1950s and 1960s and its build-up of military capabilities in the Middle East have all contributed to current instability. Damian Tobin, Cork University Business School, University College Cork Women need more than 'a seat at the table' The original article from Dr Suzanne Crowe — 'Punishing those who speak out fails us all' ( Irish Examiner, April 23) and the responding letter from Aisling McNiffe — 'Speaking up for Ireland's voiceless' (May 1) — were both written as mothers. As yet another mother, I agree with both of them. I also am the parent of an adult with a disability, not one with the acute medical needs that Aisling's son has, but without the 24/7 supervisory care that I provide, my child would soon sink. The real underlying unaddressed issue here is one of 'power over', equity, and the undeniable fact that our current systems are systems of dominance, patriarchy, hierarchy, and therefore, control. Suzanne Crowe, president of the Irish Medical Council and consultant paediatric intensivist and anaesthesiologist. Picture: Moya Nolan They are systems of 'old' and not fit for purpose in this modern world that we live in — they need radical transformation. It's time to unlearn and rebuild new systems that genuinely serve the people as they are meant to. It's been said that women and girls are conditioned to believe success is 'a seat at the table'. It is my belief that we need a new table and one that women help build because 'equity is not about who's at the table, it's about who built it — what is served, and who benefits most'. Anne Lawlor, Lower Yellow Rd, Waterford Move World Cup final to facilitate All-Irelands The GAA president Jarlath Burns has, this week, confirmed that the All-Ireland finals will continue to be played in July in 2026, with the hurling final to be played on July 19, the same day as the soccer World Cup final in America. In these circumstances, An Taoiseach should, at the first available opportunity, make a request to US president Donald Trump to have the date of the World Cup final moved. The ace Micheál Martin holds in making this 'deal' with Mr Trump, is his ability to deploy every ounce of Irish blarney and native cunning in convincing Keir Starmer to have the 2028 British Open played at Trump's Turnberry golf course, which, it seems the US president is becoming obsessed about. Michael Gannon, Saint Thomas Sq, Kilkenny City Read More Letters to the Editor: Sporting conduct damages hurling
RTÉ News
30-04-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
More than €31bn held in fossil fuel investments
Irish-based subsidiaries of investment companies held more than €31 billion in fossil fuel investments as of June 2024, according to a new report from ActionAid Ireland and Trócaire. Ireland's foreign direct investment model facilitates the investment. In 2023, the investments made into fossil fuel companies by investment managers based in Ireland generated an estimated 72.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e). This is more CO2e than the entire country of Ireland emitted in the same year. Siobhán Curran, head of policy and advocacy at Trócaire said: "Ireland's facilitation of fossil fuel investment on its shores is more than Ireland's yearly carbon footprint. "While Ireland has its targets to reduce emissions and phase out fossil fuels, this is being allowed to happen here." The top financial institutions for fossil fuel investment here were BlackRock (€18.9 billion), State Street (€4.4 billion), and Crédit Agricole (€2.1 billion). According to the report, 91% of the investments in fossil fuel companies by investment managers based in Ireland were to companies that have plans for fossil fuel expansion. Trócaire and ActionAid Ireland are calling on the government to tackle the climate crisis through both tax reform and corporate regulation of financial flows through Ireland that fund fossil fuels. "Governments and financial regulators must impose strict controls on fossil fuel financing, ending tax breaks for the most polluting industries. "A global financial system that is designed to prioritise profit over planetary survival is one that requires an urgent and deep overhaul," the report says. The two NGOs say that Ireland and the EU are moving in the "wrong direction" in this area. "The recently passed EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive excluded investments; and now the EU Commission's Omnibus legislative proposal threatens to undo the limited gains made on climate plans, as well as blocking future attempts for stronger action at national level," the report added. The burning of fossil fuels accounts for more than three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions and 90% of all carbon dioxide emissions, according to the United Nations. The more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, the warmer the global temperatures become. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued repeated warnings that the world should not warm past 1.5C. For every fraction of a degree above that, there are irreversible environmental consequences including rising sea levels, increased frequency of extreme weather events and ecosystem collapse. Continuation of current policies on the climate crisis will lead to a "catastrophic temperature rise" of up to 3.1C by 2100, according to the latest 'Emissions Gap' report from the UN Environment Programme. "Ireland is facilitating the reckless pursuit of profit by financial institutions and corporations, who continue to pursue further expansion of oil and gas in spite of all the warnings and at the expense of the planet," Ms Curran said. "The massive injustice is that it is the communities Trócaire work with in climate vulnerable countries that are feeling the worst impacts of these decisions. This is grossly unfair and contrary to the Paris Agreement and the Programme for Government," she added.
