The day brought to mind a statement shared by founder Ciara during an Ireland AM interview in April 2025, reflecting on her experiences within Ireland’s criminal justice system: “There is no consideration for the victim.” Sadly, many of Friday’s speakers echoed how true this remains across Europe.
Too often, victims are expected to navigate systems that view them merely as witnesses, rather than individuals whose lives are profoundly affected by such legal procedures. Many are left without timely information, without recognition, and without the dignity of being seen as more than a case number. Justice is treated as a process of accountability and punishment alone, while for so many survivors, justice also means being respected, supported, heard and considered.
Beyond Surviving remains committed to amplifying survivor voices and championing a justice system that truly considers, respects and centres those at its core.
Ciara spoke about the pivotal moment in her healing journey where she found herself beyond crisis support, after availing of essential support from frontline services such as Rape Crisis Centres. Their work saved Ciara, but she needed more, a next step.
Beyond Surviving exists because healing from domestic abuse and sexual violence is a lifelong process, and service provision must reflect that.
We bridge the gap between crisis intervention and long-term healing, extending and complementing existing services so that survivors can experience sustained, well-rounded support at every stage of their recovery.
Beyond Surviving has been shortlisted for the National Social Enterprise Awards 2025, in the category of ‘Start-up Social Enterprise’.
We are shortlisted alongside two other social enterprises doing strong work in their communities, AnamVR and Hugs Community.
The awards ceremony takes place on Wednesday, 15th October, in Tallaght, Dublin. This shortlisting reflects the work of our volunteers and survivor advocates over the past year.
Visa Foundation has partnered with INCO to launch CatalyseHer, a comprehensive training and micro-grant programme designed to support 100 women-led small businesses across Ireland.
The initiative will provide early-stage, revenue-generating companies focused on social and environmental impact with training, community building opportunities, and access to funding through micro-grants.
“It’s lovely for this to be recognised on a broader scale now, and I feel like I’m not alone in it anymore. I’m excited that everyone else seems to really believe in where this can go,” she said, “It feels like people can see the vision and see where this organisation can go. I’ve always believed in this and I just stuck to my guns.”
“What I found was that you do reach a point on this journey where you outgrow services and you look for something beyond that. The services that are available in Ireland support you up to this point of survival. I was looking around and I said – What’s beyond this?” After Ms Mangan realised that survivors often have nowhere to turn once they move beyond this stage, she said, “So I set up my own organisation.”
PJ talks to Ciara Mangan of Beyond Surviving about her work together with victim-survivors of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and abuse to end counsellor notes being used against rape survivors in sexual offence trials.
Our founder Ciara joined a panel of experts on Thursday 12th June at the launch of the National Women’s Council Ireland’s Strategic Plan 2025-2029. Ciara touched on the importance of survivor-led work and respecting survivors as experts in their own right. She spoke of the critical gap in post-crisis recovery infrastructure in Ireland and the urgent need for funding and investment in this area. “Healing is a life-long process and service provision must reflect and validate that.”
