By 
A SPECIAL awareness walk will take place in Omagh later this month as part of a renewed local effort to highlight the urgent need to end violence against women and girls.
Organised by the Inner Wheel Club of Omagh, the walk will set off from the Grange on November 25.
It follows a well-attended information evening held last Thursday in the Silverbirch Hotel, which brought the issue into sharper focus for the local community.
The event, facilitated by Dr Aideen McGinley, explored the realities of domestic violence in the area and considered what more can be done to protect women and girls.
Figures show that four per cent of all PSNI-recorded domestic violence crimes with female victims occurred within the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area.
In 2023/2024 alone, Omagh Women’s Aid supported 102 women and children.
The event took place in conjunction with the regular monthly meeting of the Inner Wheel Club of Omagh.
Dr McGinley said Inner Wheel Clubs were a force to be reckoned with globally and said the focus being taken on violence against women and girls was crucial.
“We assembled a powerful team to act as panellists for this event,” she said.
“It was important for us to have a conversation about what is a very difficult issue.
“Even in preparing for this evening, I learned so much.
“The importance of raising awareness about violence against women and girls is vital, and educating ourselves.
“You sit in a town like Omagh and wonder if this is really happening and I think the tragic answer to this is that it is.
“It is crucial that we ask ourselves as a community what we can do on this issue and our panel on the night helped us to provide some answers to this.
“We need to think personally and collectively about things that we can do to address this issue.”
Among those on the panel was retired District Judge, Barney McElholm, who is from the Omagh area, PSNI Detective Constable Heather Flanigan and FODC’s Carol Follis.
