In the past week, Saoirse Ronan has been praised for her powerful statement about violence against women on The Graham Norton Show.
The actress brought to light a sober truth with a simple statement; “that’s what girls have to think about all the time.”
The Irish star sat on the couch of the talk show alongside fellow Irish actor Paul Mescal as well as Denzel Washington and Eddie Redmayne on Friday.
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However, when the conversation turned to the lads joking about defending themselves if they were attacked, the actress interrupted with a sobering remark which left them in silence.
The conversation began when Eddie jokingly mentioned being taught how to use his mobile phone as a weapon if he was attacked while training for his latest show
Paul added that he would never think of using his phone as a weapon – a comment the left all the other men on the show in fits of laughter, unfortunately for girls and for women knowing what can turn into a weapon in a moment’s notice could save our lives, and it’s a thought we battle with all the time.
She was met with a round of applause from the audience and the clip has since gone viral with many praising the Irish star for being so honest in the moment about the everyday realities of women.
This clip has resonated with so many women, the powerful statement has cut deep with many as it has highlighted the threat of violence which women have to face every day.
Women and girls every day, not just in Ireland but across the world, have to analyse the darkest of thoughts, how can I protect myself if I’m attacked? Should I pretend that I’m on my phone when I’m alone with a strange man, should I go running with house keys inside my hand?
The fear of being attacked or being killed is something most men are fortunate and privileged to have never experienced. But we know it all too well.
Taking a longer way home just to avoid a dark alleyway; clutching your keys in your hands as a weapon when walking late at night; or pretending to talk to a male friend while in a taxi alone are all precautions women take out of fear.
A UN Women report found that one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. So add that to the fear of being attacked by a stranger, some of us are scared in our own homes too, the one place we are meant to be safe.
One in four women in Ireland who have been in a relationship has been abused by a current or former partner.
In 2023 alone there were 28,638 contacts with Women’s Aid from both their National Freephone Helpline and Face-to-Face Support Services.
However, the number of actual cases of violence against women is expected to be higher as fewer than 40% of the women who experience violence seek help.
A 2022 report on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence crime levels by the Gardaí found that males and females experience violent and threatening crimes differently.
A more serious statistic found every day 137 women are killed by a member of their family, according to a 2019 UN Women study.
Since 1996, 267 women have died violently in the Republic of Ireland – a proportion of those with a domestic abuse motivation represented the majority of murders for the first time in 2021.
These statistics are just a snapshot of what many women fear, but something which isn’t talked about.
Saoirse admitted the public reaction to the clip “wasn’t something she expected.”
However, she insists it’s telling about the society that we’re in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives.
Her statement and the reaction surrounding it only highlight how important it is for women to speak openly and casually about each other as well as the men in our lives.
I for one agree, we need to educate men about the real everyday fears we have, the real statistics that we all know in our gut as we tie our runners to head for a walk alone, or slide into that late night taxi hoping we’ll make it home alive.
Thank you Saoirse for letting our voices be heard.
