Debate contribution: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage

Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on 8 June 2026.

MLA: Ms Aoife Finnegan
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 8 June 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Executive Committee Business
Heading: Justice Bill: Consideration Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5600887

Text

I will speak on amendment Nos 78 and 88. Amendment No 78 recognises the important objective that sits behind it. The advertising of sexual services cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader issues of exploitation, coercion and human trafficking. While there are often differing perspectives on how best to approach those complex matters, there should be broad agreement that our laws must do everything possible to protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation and abuse. Organisations working on the front line of such issues have repeatedly highlighted the role that advertising platforms can play in facilitating exploitation. Increasingly, those involved in organised criminal activity utilise online platforms and digital technologies to recruit, control and profit from vulnerable people. Human trafficking remains a serious concern across these islands and beyond. Victims are frequently subjected to intimidation, violence, coercion and manipulation. Many are hidden in plain sight. When considering amendment No 78, we must remember that behind every statistic is a human being whose rights, dignity and safety have been violated. The Assembly's all-party group on human trafficking and exploitation has consistently highlighted the need for stronger measures to disrupt exploitation and support victims. We welcome the continued focus on that issue. The amendment would address one aspect of a wider problem that should be viewed as part of a broader effort to tackle trafficking, organised crime and sexual exploitation. Protecting vulnerable people must remain our priority. We strongly support amendment No 88 and welcome the recognition that it gives to the realities of domestic abuse and coercive control. Over the years, our understanding of domestic abuse has developed significantly. We know that abuse is not limited to physical violence; it can involve a pattern of behaviour designed to intimidate, isolate, manipulate and control another person. Threats or acts of cruelty towards family pets are one such depraved form of coercive and controlling behaviour. For many families, pets are not simply animals but loved companions and valued members of the household. Abusers understand that emotional bond and, in many cases, deliberately exploit it to exercise power and control over their victims. The first time that I encountered that type of abuse was when a constituent came to my office. She had made the very difficult decision to leave an abusive partner and the home that they shared, but she was forced to leave behind a beloved dog when she fled for her safety. In the weeks that followed, she asked her abusive ex-partner whether she could see the dog that she loved so dearly. Her former partner told her that she could see the dog but only when she returned to him. The risk to her safety was simply too great, and, as a result, she never saw that dog again. It was never about love or care for the animal on the abuser's end; the dog was being used as a tool of coercion and control. He understood the bond that she had with her pet and exploited that bond to cause further distress, maintain power over her and continue the abuse long after she left the relationship. It was a stark example of how perpetrators can weaponise not only relationships and children but family pets to manipulate, intimidate and emotionally harm their victims. Evidence from domestic abuse organisations shows that victims may delay leaving abusive relationships because they fear what will happen to their pets if they do. Others remain silent because threats against animals are used as a means of intimidation. They are not isolated incidents; they form part of a wider pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour that can have devastating consequences for victims and their families. At its core, domestic abuse is about power, control and intimidation. Abusers will seek to exploit whatever means are available to them in order to cause fear and distress to their victim and to maintain control over them. It does not matter whether that abuse is directed towards a person, a horse, a dog or any other animal that a victim loves or cares for.
An abuser will use whatever they believe will inflict the greatest emotional harm. That is why threats against or acts of cruelty towards animals must be recognised for exactly what they are: another tool of coercion and control in an abusive relationship. It also indicates how dangerous these abusers are in that nobody is safe in their presence. The amendment recognises that reality and acknowledges that threats against animals can be every bit as intimidating and controlling as other forms of abuse and should be considered within the legal framework accordingly.
Importantly, the amendment sends a clear message that domestic abuse needs to be understood in all of its forms. It demonstrates a willingness to listen to victims and learn from evidence, and it strengthens protections where gaps have been identified. As legislators, we have a responsibility to ensure that our laws reflect the lived experiences of those affected by abuse. This amendment will help to achieve that object, and, for those reasons, Sinn Féin is pleased to support the amendment.

844 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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