Family Law Reform Protest
Ireland’s Call for Change
This week, campaigners across Ireland are uniting to demand long-overdue reform of the family law courts - a system many say is failing those it is meant to protect.
According to the Irish Independent, the Family Court Reform (FCR) campaign warns that Ireland’s current family law structure “causes further harm rather than protection” for victims of domestic abuse, coercive control, and trauma. Studies show that one in three women in Ireland has experienced psychological violence from a partner, and one in four has experienced physical or sexual violence. Gardaí responded to 65,000 domestic abuse incidents in 2024 - an average of 180 calls every day. Behind each of these numbers are people, stories, and children who need the system to function more effectively.
The FCR campaign is calling for urgent judicial reform, transparency, accountability, and mandatory training for all court professionals. They argue that unsafe rulings, a lack of trauma understanding, and the silencing of survivors’ voices have left families exposed to further harm. “Judges continue to make unsafe decisions that put both victims and their children at risk,” one spokesperson said. “The system is causing further harm instead of protection.”
This Wednesday (12th November 2025), campaigners including Nicola Fox - known for her advocacy around the #BringHarryHome and #FreeNicolaFox movements - will gather outside Leinster House in Dublin at 1 pm for a peaceful protest. The demonstration aims to shed light on what many mothers and children endure behind closed doors and to push for meaningful legislative and cultural change within the family justice system.
The protest follows a special discussion at Trinity College Dublin with Dr Charlotte Proudman and Professor Stephanie Holt, two leading voices in the movement for reform. Both have highlighted how the lack of transparency in family courts allows unsafe patterns to continue unchallenged. Professor Holt’s recent research found that the system not only fails to reduce risk for victim-survivors but can actually increase it - undermining safety and rights in the process.
At its heart, the campaign calls for what should be the foundation of any justice system: safety, fairness, and accountability. For mothers and children caught in cycles of coercive control and institutional neglect, reform cannot come soon enough.
Irish sisters are raising their voices. If you’re in Dublin, see the flyer below for details and stand in solidarity with those calling for protection, transparency, and justice.
🗓 Wednesday 12 November, 1 pm
📍 Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2
