Awareness Raising and Campaigns
- Published on: 23 December 2023
- Last updated on: 3 October 2025
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One of Cuan’s core functions is to lead on awareness-raising campaigns designed to reduce the incidence of DSGBV in Irish society, as well as ensuring that all victims know how to access the supports they require.
Cuan’s Communications, Campaigns and Education Team coordinate the planning and delivery of these campaigns. In addition to new campaigns currently in development, this includes the continued delivery of successful Department of Justice campaigns.
Hardest Stories
The ‘Hardest Stories’ campaign was launched in February 2025.
The Hardest Stories Campaign is driven by a powerful creative idea: The stories that are hardest to tell need to be told. By breaking silence, we begin the vital work of transforming our society into one where people can live free from the shadow of violence.
From Oscar Wilde to Edna O’Brien, we pride ourselves on being a nation of storytellers. But there are some stories no one should have to tell. Stories of harassment, abuse, rape; stories of violence.
These stories are hidden in plain sight across our country, more being created every day and we’re shedding light on them now. Showcasing the humanity behind the statistics and encouraging people to join in stopping these stories.
With this campaign, we aim to shed light on not only particular stories of violence but also the fact that all too many of these stories exist.
For more information, please visit www.gov.ie/stories
Always Here
Always Here – Sexual Violence
The Always Here sexual violence campaign has been developed to inform and reassure victims/survivors of sexual violence that help is always available when they are ready to reach out for support. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of pathways to safety and supports available to victims of sexual violence.
Always Here, now led by Cuan, the dedicated DSGBV Agency, is a key action of the Protection Pillar of the Third National Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Strategy and is intended to speak directly to victims/survivors of sexual violence to encourage and empower them to reach out for help and support when they are ready.
Central to the Always Here campaign is the message that should someone want to take that difficult step to seek help, from either state agencies such as An Garda Síochána and the Courts Service, state services such as Sexual Assault Treatment Units (SATUs), or from any of the vital organisations in the community and voluntary sector, that they will be listened to, they will be taken seriously and they will be given the support that they need.
The TV advert for the campaign tells the story of a victim/survivor of sexual abuse and her journey towards hope and healing. It depicts the internal experience of many victims/survivors with an affecting external representation of these feelings. By representing this experience, we hope to offer understanding and validation to victims/survivors while connecting with those who are going through a similar experience and offer them hope and positive action.
Always Here – Domestic Violence
The Always Here domestic violence campaign was launched by the Department of Justice in December 2023. The campaign is the successor to the Still Here campaign which tackled the serious issue of domestic violence in the context of the Covid pandemic.
The domestic violence campaign seeks to reassure victims that services are ‘always here’, and that victims are being prioritised.
The campaign assets focus on the lies that abusers tell their victims. As the mood changes, and the victims become empowered, the audience is reassured that “you matter. You deserve to be safe. And when you ask for help, you will be heard.”
This message of these supports being ‘always here’ is particularly important over the Christmas period when reports of domestic abuse can escalate.
For more information please visit www.alwayshere.ie
Let’s Have the Consent Conversation
‘Let’s Have The Consent Conversation’, a major national awareness raising campaign on the topic of sexual consent was launched by the Department of Justice in November 2023. The aim of the campaign is to get people talking and thinking about consent, and to normalise it as a foundation for all sexual relationships.
Recent research on the campaign found that its quirky and creative approach was highly engaging, emotionally stimulating and delivered messaging that was approachable, and easy to process.
Having completed its initial outing in late 2023/early 2024, the campaign has been rolled out for a second advertising burst in Autumn 2024. It was also featured at the 2024 Ploughing Championship, where it enjoyed extensive positive engagement from attendees.
For more information on this campaign, visit gov.ie/consent.
You can view the ‘Let’s Have the Consent Conversation’ campaign ad at the below links:
Serious Consequences – a campaign to raise awareness of intimate image abuse
‘Serious Consequences’ was launched by the Department of Justice in May 2023 and focuses on raising awareness that it is illegal to threaten to share an intimate image of another person, even if the threat is not followed through. The aim of the campaign is to allow victims feel empowered because the law is on their side.
The campaign has been highly successful in raising awareness of the new offences relating to intimate image abuse. Prior to the launch of the campaign only 51% of people thought it is against the law in Ireland to threaten to share intimate images without consent, that figure has now risen to 96%.
In 2024 the campaign won the prestigious Advertising Campaign of the year Award at the All Ireland Marketing Awards, as well as a Gold award for public service advertising at the Effie Ireland Awards.
More information on the campaign is available here: Serious Consequences Campaign
You can view the Serious Consequences Campaign Ad in English or Irish below.