Let’s Talk: About Violence Against Women
In December 2025 Act Now launched an initiative to encourage conversations about violence against women by distributing 5000 bespoke beermats to pubs and venues across Northern Ireland as tens of thousands of people sit down with friends and family for Christmas drinks.
Act Now collaborated with renowned local artist Fiona McDonnell to design “Can we talk about Violence Against Women?” beermats with a QR code for pubgoers to scan, linking them to helplines, statistics, and most importantly, tips on how to talk to people who have been caught up in misinformation circulating online linking the violence to the migrant community.
Dozens of Act Now members chipped in to a fundraiser to produce the beermats.
Learn about it
On social media and even in daily conversations, misinformation about violence against women is everywhere. Click below for some facts and figures on violence against women in Northern Ireland.
Talk
about it
In 2025, we’ve seen violence against women used by those who seek to divide us, by scapegoating racialised communities, and spreading disinformation online. Want to know how to talk to someone who’s been exposed to these narratives? Click below!
The campaign was conceived in the wake of the riots in Ballymena and other street protests scapegoating migrant communities for violence against women to highlight the importance and power of offline conversations between peers to challenging misinformation. But offline conversations between people like us are so powerful to ensure extremists don’t win here.
One in three of those arrested for the riots in Ballymena earlier this year had previously been reported for domestic abuse.
The beermat illustration was designed to reflect the campaign's objectives, with subtle details including flowers with wilted and broken petals, and the obscuring of a woman’s face reflects the silencing of victims and the dehumanisation of women.
Information on how to have productive conversations about Violence against Women is below
Take Action
Our political representatives are responsible for taking real action on Violence Against Women - to educate young people, prevent harm, and hold those who commit crimes accountable. Let them know this is important to you by signing our petition now!
Need support?
Violence against women takes many forms - including physical, mental, emotional, sexual and financial. If you or someone you know is affected right now, you can get help by clicking below.