Fermoy gardaí raising awareness on 'Go Purple Day'
Gardaí in Fermoy were encouraging people to open conversations around domestic abuse, encouraging victims to avail of support and highlighting the various types and impacts of domestic abuse as Go Purple Day got underway locally.
At Fermoy Garda Station and Riordan’s SuperValu, local gardaí met with members of the public in a bid to raise awareness on Friday, May 3.
Speaking with The Avondhu, Inspector Miriam McGuire outlined that this is the fifth year of Go Purple Day in the town and said that those at the Fermoy station are ‘delighted’ to be involved with the worthwhile event.
“The purpose of the Go Purple Day is to highlight domestic abuse which is very prevalent in our society and to highlight both to victims and family members that there is a wide range of supports available and to encourage them to come forward either to us or other support agencies and to reassure them not to be afraid and that it will be taken seriously.
“Having this visibility means an awful lot because a lot of the time people suffer in silence, particularly with domestic abuse and it can take a lot to have the courage to tell someone about it. It opens that conversation and highlights it to all members of the public, encouraging them not to suffer in silence,” Inspector McGuire said.
Go Purple Day is a national day of action held each year in which An Garda Síochana participate in an annual campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and the local support services available. The initiative aims to advocate for a society with zero tolerance of domestic abuse and highlight the importance of supporting victims.