‘Broken Bodies – Broken Dreams: Violence Against Women Exposed’ is a powerful photo exhibition documenting violence against women and girls around the globe. It was brought to Ireland in 2006 by the Irish Joint Consortium on Gender Based Violence. Over twenty photographs and accompanying testimonies highlight issues such as discrimination at birth, domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, servitude and abusive cultural practices.
The photo exhibition accompanies a major book also entitled ‘Broken Bodies – Broken Dreams: Violence Against Women Exposed’ which is a publication of the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The 15 chapter book has extensive case studies and photographs, and also includes a training CD. For more information and to purchase copies of the book, please see http://www.irinnews.org or http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=72831.
The exhibition was first showcased in Ireland by the Consortium from 3-20th March 2006. The exhibition was open to the public at Filmbase, Temple Bar in Dublin and attracted hundreds of visitors as well as considerable media attention. It was launched on International Women’s Day, March 8th 2006, by Minister of State for Development Cooperation and Human Rights, Conor Lenihan, TD and Dr Yakin Ertürk, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women. Journalist and author, Roisin Ingle, introduced the themes of the exhibition.
The exhibition was next hosted at the Glencree Centre for Peace and Reconciliation in Wicklow. The photos have subsequently been exhibited for short periods during Consortium events at Iveagh House, Dublin in November 2006 and in the RHA Gallery, Dublin on March 8th 2007. The Consortium later facilitated another copy of the exhibition being displayed in Canada. Through IRIN, other copies of the exhibition have previously appeared in New York, Geneva and Nairobi.
The Consortium now holds one of the three copies of the exhibition and can make it available to other groups around Ireland who wish to exhibit it. Please contact us if your organisation is interested in hosting the exhibition.
Stories and testimonies
- Rose’s Story – Kenya
- Elizabeth’s Story – Nicaragua
- Halima’s Story – Niger
- Elizabeth’s Story – Democratic Republic of Congo
