WOMEN forced into getting a tattoo against their will are being helped by a female support group and tattoo artists.
The Donegal Uplift Project works with women affected by issues such as “domestic abuse, coercive control, and sexual violence”.
Its clinical director Jessica Gallagher revealed to the Donegal News that ongoing efforts to help women across the county have now been expanded.
She said: “A local tattoo artist shared something that had been troubling her for years.
“She noticed women coming into the studio accompanied by partners who appeared to be making decisions for them.
“Some women seemed hesitant, uncomfortable, or unsure about the tattoo they were about to receive, but were reluctant to say so in front of the person they had arrived with.
“The studio owner recognised something many domestic abuse professionals know all too well: coercive control often removes a person’s ability to safely say no.
“So she made a simple but hugely impactful change. Alongside the standard consent forms completed before every tattoo appointment, she added one discreet question.
“That is, ‘Do you feel pressured or coerced into getting this tattoo today?’ If a client indicates yes, staff have a quiet but powerful protocol in place.
“Rather than confronting the situation directly, they create a legitimate reason why the appointment cannot proceed, protecting the client from potential repercussions while ensuring the tattoo is not completed.
“What seems like a small change in an unexpected location has already made a significant difference to several women and will no doubt impact many more.
“They are community issues. Sometimes the people best placed to spot the signs are tattoo artists, hairdressers, beauticians, teachers, pharmacists, bartenders, neighbours, and colleagues.”
Jessica added: “It is a powerful reminder that domestic abuse and coercive control are not issues that belong solely to domestic violence services, gardaí, or the courts.”
Courts cases in Donegal this week involved a man in his 20s being jailed for two years after he broke into his former girlfriend’s home in May 2025 and punched her so viciously that she thought she was going to die.
Also Donegal Circuit Court, a man in his 30s admitted to coercively controlling a woman.
He had been charged with behaviour that was controlling or coercive on dates between 2023 and 2024 contrary to the Domestic Violence Act 2018.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to distribute or publish an intimate image of the woman without her consent.
The accused was remanded in custody to reappear before Donegal Circuit Court later this year.
Uplift’s Jessica told the Donegal News that “coercive control” does not always look like “what people expect”.
She said: “When people think about domestic abuse, they often picture what happens behind closed doors. However, coercive control can show up in the most unexpected places.
“This is why we at The Uplift Project believe so strongly that community education and collaboration is paramount to changing the way domestic and gender based violence is approached.”