Debate contribution: Sexual Crime: Support for Victims

Debate contribution by Mrs Naomi Long on 19 October 2026.

MLA: Mrs Naomi Long
Party at the time: Alliance Party
Date: 19 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: Sexual Crime: Support for Victims
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5795859

Text

With your indulgence, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I will give a slightly longer answer than I would normally. My Department has led a transformational programme of work to improve support and outcomes for victims of sexual crime. The measures and services introduced so far have brought about real and meaningful change, delivering tangible improvements for victims. This year, around 1,000 vulnerable witnesses, many of them victims of sexual crime, will give evidence from a remote evidence centre. Feedback from those who have used the facilities has been overwhelmingly positive, and the conviction rate for cases involving remote evidence stands at around 90%, over half by a guilty plea. Those figures demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Separately, adult and child sexual offences legal advisers (SOLAs) continue to provide legal support to complainants. Over 2,200 adult victims have engaged with the SOLAs since the scheme began in April 2021, and over 400 child victims have engaged with the children's sexual offences legal adviser (CSOLA) since that scheme began in February 2025. Feedback has been extremely positive, with many service users having told us that, without a SOLA, they could not have continued with their case. Last month, I was privileged to attend the 5th anniversary of ASSIST NI, which my Department funds to provide advocacy support for high-risk victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Again, I was moved by the testimonies of service users, who spoke about how important that service has been in supporting them. Significant work is being undertaken to reduce unnecessary delays in sexual offence cases. Measures such as committal reform and the introduction of case progression officers have helped to reduce the median time taken to complete sexual offence cases from 742 days in 2021 to 547 days in 2025-26. In addition, the under-13 and under-16 protocols support the timely progression of cases involving child victims and witnesses, reduce delay and help to mitigate the impact of criminal justice proceedings on young people. My Department intends to launch a formal evaluation of the Gillen implementation programme in the next financial year. However, even in the absence of that formal evaluation, taken together, those measures demonstrate the positive impact that the systemic changes are having on victims' experiences of the justice system: improving those experiences; reducing trauma and delay; improving justice outcomes; and ensuring that those who are affected by serious sexual offences receive the support and protections that they deserve.

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

Assessment

Awaiting analysis

This record has not been analysed yet. It is not counted in any total until it has been assessed.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reviews every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification