Debate contribution: Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls: Implementation
Debate contribution by Miss Deirdre Hargey on .
- MLA
- Miss Deirdre Hargey
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- 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 4230635
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I echo what everybody else has been saying: this is a really important debate. I welcome the fact that, within a few weeks of the Assembly being up and running, this is one of the key items for discussion. That is reflective of the change that we have seen in our society. In the past couple of weeks, there has been a visible sign of change in the Executive Office with the offices of First Minister, deputy First Minister and junior Ministers all now held by females. We know that females make up more than 50% of the population, so why should that not be reflected in our policies and procedures in this place but also in society as a whole? As was said in the report, women and girls cannot be reduced to a statistic, nor can they be reduced to a story that appears in the media one day and is gone the next. Indeed, the concerning figure that 90% of women and girls believe that sexism and misogyny is an issue should really be the headline; in this day and age, 90% of over 50% of the population believe that sexism and misogyny is a key issue. That goes to the heart of why the motion has been tabled today: it is because of the importance of bringing forward the strategic framework as part of the strategy to end violence against women and girls. We know the history of, and we have seen and heard the statistics on, domestic abuse, misogyny and the culture of mistreatment of women and girls by society, which goes back decades and decades. In the past couple of years, we have looked at that through the institutional abuse inquiry and in respect of mother-and-baby homes, which are a real scar on society right across the island. We have all heard the comments that a woman's place is in the home, doing the dinner and washing the dishes. We have heard the whistle calls and the abuse that women take on a daily basis. Indeed, many of us have seen the physical and psychological signs of women being abused on a daily basis. We have also seen the health and economic impacts on women and how they are seen in society as a whole.
No, you are OK. Thank you. The issue demonstrates the need for a cross-societal approach. It is not just for women and girls to grapple with the seriousness of the issue; we need all of society to work together to look at our responsibilities and what we can do in order to meet the challenges. Importantly, a cross-departmental approach is needed. While I know that the Executive Office will lift the strategy and drive it, it needs all the other Departments to pull together. We have heard about Health, Education, Communities and Economy, but to see implementation being driven forward will require all the Ministers to pull together under the leadership of the Executive Office. Over the past couple of years, a lot of good work on co-design has been done with the women's sector and women's organisations on the ground. That work and those relationships definitely need to continue. Overall, it is about saying that we want a society that treats people equally; that is based on rights and enshrined in an international human rights setting; and that embeds not just gender rights but economic, educational and class rights. All those issues are interwoven. The grassroots women's movement would also say that, which is why it stands on the front line with other rights organisations that are looking at rights in their entirety. I welcome the fact that we are having this debate today. I welcome the action that will follow and the leadership that will be given, and I look forward to working with everyone across this Chamber to ensure that we eradicate this scourge on our society once and for all.
655 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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