Debate contribution: Ending Violence against Women and Girls
Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on .
- MLA
- Mr Colin McGrath
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 23 June 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Ending Violence against Women and Girls
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5637100
Read the official Assembly record
Text
With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I may need an extra minute to answer this question. While the Assembly Commission is not a delivery body for the Executive’s strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, it supports its objectives, both as a democratic institution and as an employer. In its democratic role, the Assembly Commission contributes through awareness-raising, supporting Members through briefing, training and awareness sessions, and support for key initiatives including the Women’s Caucus, the Women’s Parliament and the Youth Assembly. It also undertakes work to address abuse and intimidation of MLAs. Since March 2025, the parliamentary excellence programme has delivered dedicated sessions with the Executive Office on the strategic framework and its delivery plan, enhancing Members’ understanding of the cross-government approach and their role in scrutiny, legislation and constituency engagement. The Women’s Parliament has focused on ending violence against women and girls, highlighting the importance of listening to survivors, strengthening legal protections and ensuring sustainable support for services. In parallel, the Youth Assembly is examining the role of young people, including young men, in challenging the attitudes and behaviours that contribute to violence against women and girls. More broadly, the Assembly Commission supports Members and Committees in carrying out their scrutiny functions, including in relation to the Executive Office’s work on that framework. As an employer, the Assembly Commission also has a clear responsibility to support the wider aims of the framework by fostering a safe, respectful and supportive workplace. That includes promoting dignity at work, taking action to prevent and address bullying and harassment, supporting staff who may be experiencing domestic abuse and providing well-being support through initiatives such as the employee support programme, mental health champions and staff health networks. Finally, Members may also be aware that the Speaker held an event last November to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls and to recognise the work of Women’s Aid and its many volunteers.
326 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.94).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.44 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.94 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.06 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.61 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.39 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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