Minister Peter Burke addresses launch of the National Women’s Council of Ireland’s Toolkit on Social Media Policies for Political Parties

The Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Peter Burke, today attended the launch of the National Women’s Council of Ireland’s Toolkit on Social Media Policies for Political Parties. Funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the project and toolkit provides insight into the growing phenomenon of online abuse levelled against female politicians.

Minister Burke said:

“My department and I commissioned this timely toolkit, which examines the online abuse faced by women in political life, and offers a number of concrete, achievable recommendations for political parties to implement, supporting party members and candidates who are victims of abuse, along with tackling the abuse itself at all levels."

The National Women’s Council of Ireland is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, and has worked extensively with the Minister and his department towards achieving their mutual goal of seeing more women elected to local government.

Today’s launch follows a number of funding announcements from Minister Burke, geared towards addressing the under-representation of women in Irish local government, including significant grants to Women for Election and the rural-based See Her Elected (S.H.E.) Project. Both groups mentor women who are considering running for office, providing them with the tools and supports necessary for success.

Minister Burke and his department are also engaging with councillors on the issue of maternity leave, examining the legal questions arising in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General, and plan in this Dáil session to bring forward a package of maternity-related measures for councillors, including progressive proposals for legislative change.

Concluding, the Minister said:

“The advocacy work of groups like the National Women’s Council is essential to addressing the barriers women face when considering whether to enter local politics. I am determined to continue to support work which brings us closer to our goal; to make our council chambers representative of the communities they serve.”