Member's statement: Domestic Abuse
Member's statement by Ms Cara Hunter on .
- MLA
- Ms Cara Hunter
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 20 October 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Domestic Abuse
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5798340
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I will speak about the horrific issue that plagues our society in Northern Ireland: domestic violence. Home is a place that should feel safe, but for many victims of domestic violence, it is a place in which they have to be hypervigilant. Home should be the place where everyone feels safe. It should be somewhere where we can close our door, relax and feel at peace. Unfortunately, however, the reality for many across Northern Ireland is that they live in fear in their home. This week is Domestic Abuse Awareness Week, but for those experiencing abuse it is something that they live with every day. A member of our SDLP women's group recently shared her experience with me. She said that all that she ever wanted was to feel at peace in her home. That is something that many of us take for granted, but it is something that had been taken away from her. Domestic abuse is not always physical violence. It can be coercive control, manipulation and so much more. It can be someone slowly taking away another person's independence, confidence and sense of safety. Thankfully, she eventually made the difficult decision to leave, but leaving did not mean that the abuse stopped. It followed her, as it does many women and victims. She spoke about the difference that Women's Aid made to her life and about the support that she had received during what was one of the most difficult times of her life. Her story is a reminder of the importance of organisations such as Women's Aid but also of the enormous challenges facing women across the North who escape abusive relationships. Too often, we hear about domestic abuse and the one question that is asked is this: why didn't she leave? We should, however, be asking a different question: what stopped her leaving? Sadly, in the current climate, the answer for many women is financial insecurity. When rents are rising, childcare costs are through the roof and families are struggling to make ends meet, leaving an abusive relationship could mean facing even more poverty or even homelessness. How can we expect a woman to leave when she cannot afford to keep a roof over her and her children's heads? No woman should be forced to remain in an abusive relationship that she literally cannot afford to leave. I welcome the fact that the House has introduced the ending violence against women and girls strategy, which recognises the importance of tackling the issue, but there are serious questions to be asked about how we measure its success. Without clear, measurable outcomes and proper data collection, how can we know whether the strategy is making a difference to the lives of women across the North? How do we know that it is making women feel safer in their own home? Publishing a strategy is one thing, but delivering real change for women who are experiencing abuse is another. Home is a place where everyone should feel safe. It should be somewhere where children can grow up without fear and somewhere where women can live without being subjected to intimidation and control. All that the woman who shared her story with me ever wanted was peace in her home. That is not an unreasonable expectation. It is something that every person deserves, and it is something that we in the House should be doing everything within our gift to guarantee.
572 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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