Debate contribution: Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls: Implementation
Debate contribution by Mr Harry Harvey on .
- MLA
- Mr Harry Harvey
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 26 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls: Implementation
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4230598
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The motion draws our attention to the unacceptable and ongoing issue of violence against women and girls in our society. The issue affects us all and has the potential to affect every home represented in the Chamber. For women and girls, it affects them directly. For men and boys, it has the potential to affect them indirectly, should violence be perpetrated against a female whom they hold dear, be she a mother, a sister, a wife or a partner. In light of that, it is incumbent on us all to be willing to play our part to tackle the issue head-on and tackle its root causes.
The need to address violence and the causes of violence against women and girls formed a core aspect of my party's Assembly election manifesto in 2022. I am pleased that progress is being made across government, particularly in the Executive Office, on spotlighting the issue.
The first necessity is to acknowledge the existence of the problem. The Executive Office's strategic framework does exactly that, as does the motion. The stark reality is that 75% of girls, even at the formative age of 16, have experienced street harassment at least once in their life. Sadly, such events occurring on our streets mirror the far more serious circumstances faced by too many women behind closed doors. The problem exists, and the message must be that it is wrong, regardless of the form that it takes. The framework's vision is one of:
"a changed society where women and girls are free from all forms of gender-based violence, abuse, and harm, including the attitudes, systems, and structural inequalities that cause them."
That aim will be achieved through working together as partners across society, in the public, private and third sectors and in the community, to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls. While it is right and proper to have such a document in government, it will be for every sector and every community to buy into its vision and seek to make it a reality, because that will not be achieved by government alone. I am encouraged by the willingness for collaboration that has already been evidenced in seeking to address and tackle the issue. Co-design has been a vital aspect of developing the framework, bringing together expertise and experience from across government and the community and voluntary sector, as well as from lived experience. It is important to acknowledge the great work that has been done to support women and to tackle the issue of violence against them over many years. Organisations such as Women's Aid have been at the coalface dealing with the ugly realities and outworkings of misogyny and sexism in wider society. I am hopeful that the strategic framework will build on the foundation that has already been laid and provide further support for the organisations and bodies dedicated to supporting women and girls across Northern Ireland. It is astonishing to think that it is estimated that domestic and sexual abuse across Northern Ireland costs £750 million to £1 billion a year. Not only is there a direct and often catastrophic human cost to the victims of such abuse but there is a financial cost as a result of the ongoing prevalence of that societal illness. We must be clear by our actions as well as our words that our women are to be valued, respected and protected against the minority who would do them harm, be it physical or emotional. I look forward to seeing the practical outworkings of the strategic framework and to working collectively towards the eradication of violence against our women and girls.
608 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.83).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.92).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying 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 | 0.08 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.83 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.92 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.08 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.67 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.33 |
| 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 09:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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