Vigils in memory of Geila Ibram organised for Limerick and Dublin

A vigil will take place today in memory of Geila Ibram, a young Romanian woman who was murdered last week in Limerick.

The vigil will take place today (Tuesday), April 11th at Steamboat Quay, Limerick to mark one week since the 27-year-old's death. A vigil in Dublin has also been organised for this Thursday, April 13th at The Spire for 6pm. The occasions were organised to make a stand against femicide in Ireland, and to support the sex worker community.

(1/2) Standouts for Geila Ibram, and all victims of femicide and gender violence.

📍 Limerick: Thursday, 13th April, 5:30pm, Bedford Row.

📍 Dublin: Thursday, 13th April, 6pm, the Spire. pic.twitter.com/F74fBKs818

— ROSA Limerick (@RosaLimerick) April 10, 2023

Family members identified the mother-of-four’s remains formally at the morgue in Limerick Hospital on Friday.

Habib Shamel, 26, an Afghan national, appeared before Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, April 8 via video link, charged with her murder.

The court heard Ms Ibram had been stabbed "numerous times" in what was described by a detective as a "vicious and frenzied attack" and that the attack resulted in the defendant injuring his hand.

The court also heard the defendant and the victim had a conversation which was "arranging a sexual exchange" on April 4. Shamel was refused bail and is due to appear before court via video link on May 2.

Now, to pay respect to the memory of Geila Ibram, Limerick Cllr Elisa O’Donovan said a vigil will be held on Tuesday at 5.30pm at Steamboat Quay in the city.

"This will mark the one week anniversary of her death. We will meet together in her memory to pay our respects as a Limerick community," Cllr O’Donovan tweeted.

We will be holding a vigil in memory of Geila Ibram at 5.30pm on Tuesday 11th April at Steamboat Quay. This will mark one week anniversary of her death. We will meet together in her memory to pay our respects as a Limerick community ❤️ pic.twitter.com/u3y5PGCKB4

— Cllr Elisa O'Donovan (@elisaodonovan) April 8, 2023

Last week, the Sex Workers Alliance Ireland made a scathing statement against Ireland's Nordic Model laws, which they claim puts the lives of sex workers in more danger.

"The murder of a sex worker is the grim but obvious result of a law that disregards the voices and safety of sex workers," the statement by Linda Kavanagh begins. The law around sex work had been changed in 2015 to what is known as the Sex Purchase Law, or The Nordic Model, which criminalises the purchasing, but not the selling of sex in Ireland.

There have been numerous criticisms of the Nordic Model over the last number of years, with sex workers claiming the policy makes them feel more unsafe - given the violence occasionally inflicted by members of the police. By criminalising the purchasing of sex, it also means that sex workers are aligned with criminals, and also cannot work in pairs or groups or risk being labelled as a "brothel".

“When this law was being debated in 2015 and 2016, sex workers and allies warned that the law would increase violence against sex workers," Kavanagh says. "Since that time mountains of research, as well as the lived experiences of sex workers, have shown us to be correct."