Debate contribution: Strategic Framework to End Violence against Women and Girls: Implementation

Debate contribution by Ms Carál Ní Chuilín on 26 February 2024.

MLA

Ms Carál Ní Chuilín

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 4231117

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh míle maith agaibh

to every Member who spoke. I recorded that there were something like 19 contributions to the debate, including my winding-up speech. I was delighted to see a collegiate approach and the contributions that everybody made, which were sincere, honest and very credible. I pay tribute to both the male DUP contributors: Harry Harvey moved the amendment and Brian Kingston made the winding-up speech on it, which was important. That will be appreciated, not only by those in the Chamber but by the many other people who are watching the debate. I thank Kristine Gillespie from the Research and Information Service and the many people in the Public Gallery from the WRDA and Women's Aid for the massive information pack. That in itself shows the lengths to which some people have gone to research the issue, and we can use it as a reference point. When we tabled the motion, we knew that the response would be the one that we had today. Our party made it a priority to table the motion in one of the first sitting days after restoration, simply because, if you cannot see it or hear it, you cannot either be it or believe it. While many people look down on the No Day Named List for motions, a lot of people need to be able to recognise themselves in all our words. That is really important. When Emma Sheerin moved the motion, among her first words was the comment that the motion was a cross-party initiative that should enjoy cross-party support. That was not her being presumptuous. People who have been here before and added to the whole discussion, particularly in TEO and elsewhere, will know that the issue went into Justice, Communities and Health. Although TEO is leading on the strategy, everything that we do on it has to be cross-departmental in outcome. I have faith that that will be the case. Obviously, the need for money is at the centre of the matter. However, the majority of contributors mentioned the horrendous and shocking statistics. For example, 75% of 16-year-olds who were surveyed had experienced street harassment and had felt ashamed, embarrassed, harassed or humiliated. As many contributors said, they are us, our daughters, our sisters, our friends and our colleagues. It is only when you think of it in those human terms that you start to realise the gravity of what we are all dealing with. Unfortunately, far too many people have lost their lives or been murdered as a result of domestic violence or people feeling that it was somehow acceptable to kill women in the street, as in the cases that were mentioned. All Members who spoke said that we need to change the culture and the narrative so that violence against women and girls is not acceptable. For that reason alone, one of the good things to come out of the debate will be the people who are watching us or listening to us hearing how collegiate and sincere we all are about this matter, not that we need to be reminded of that. I do not want to seem pernickety, but I would love us to change the term "maiden speech". It is archaic and like something out of a Charles Dickens film or book. We should refer to it as the "first speech". Connie Egan made hers. I met her mummy in the canteen, so there are two generations of women listening to the debate. Let us hope that we can have a third generation of women coming here and drop that term. While it is not sexist— men make their maiden speeches here as well —I just think that it is crazy biscuits, to be fair. Anyway, I return to the issue of domestic violence. All the organisations that are trying to help people who are at their most vulnerable had their funding cut or removed. Many Members, including Michelle, the First Minister, spoke about the need around Women's Aid. Indeed, most contributors did so. That in itself should go to the point about vulnerability. Those people are trying to help people at their time of most need. We need to look at that as a priority. I also want to mention other women's organisations that I personally worked with throughout and after COVID. They include the women's centres whose staff took huge personal risks going into people's homes to try to help them and worked with the PSNI and the courts. They went to court with women and were there for them throughout that journey when no one else was. We need to mention those women, and I want to take this opportunity to mention, in particular, the Falls Women's Centre and the Grace Family Centre, which are in west Belfast and north Belfast respectively. I know that each of us will have many other examples. Women who have retired are providing a befriending service to people who need it most, and that is really admirable. Many Members, particularly Deirdre Hargey, Sinéad McLaughlin and Sorcha Eastwood, mentioned the toxicity around the debate on ending violence against women and girls. Sorcha made that point in particular. Brian, in his winding-up speech, responded to Harry's intervention about how we behave in the Chamber. We are all used to the cut and thrust of politics, but it is belligerent to shout at people from the corner or from a sedentary position, or to put things up on social media with some vile commentary. That adds to people having permission, not that they need it, to abuse, insult, offend and intimidate others. Each of us has a responsibility to be courteous, and I include myself in that. Most people know that I am very straight, but I would never, ever deliberately go out to cause people harm and offence. I have been subject to it in here, as have many others, and it needs to stop. People who persist with that are nothing but cowards, and they need to be called out. Deirdre Hargey, Linda Dillon and others mentioned the issue around mother-and-baby homes and the Magdalene laundries. That is our shame. That is our nation's shame, and we must ensure that not only does it never happen again but that those who were responsible have to restore financially. The people impacted now span three, four or five generations, and we need to put our arms around them and give them support. Diane Forsythe, unfortunately, is no stranger to vile abuse, and she called out what that was like for her. In fact, as elected reps, we had to go and meet the police about the abuse that we received and our personal safety. I have to say, giving credit to everybody, that we were there to support each other, regardless of our positions politically. That is what we do as women, I would like to think. We will fall out and disagree, but when it comes to calling out abuse, violence and intimidation, we need to do that for everybody, not just for some. I thank Paula Bradshaw, the Chairperson of the Committee for the Executive Office, and Connie Egan, the Committee's Deputy Chair, for setting out what happened in the previous mandate. I have heard today that, in the previous mandate, a lot of work was done. Michelle, on behalf of the Executive and as First Minister, has said that we will gather up that work and try to get the strategy sorted out. We have the framework, we need to get the strategy sorted out, and we need to have an action plan. The gift in all this is that we need to be able to see it. I pay tribute to everyone who spoke. Cheryl Brownlee spoke about the abuse that young boys and young men get as well. Regardless of where it is or where it emanates from, we want to call a halt to all of that. I will end on this note: it is not just about all of us around the Chamber agreeing for the sake of agreeing. I believe that this was an honest and credible debate. I appreciate the amendment from my two colleagues, but I would like to see us send very clear and resounding support to ending gender-based violence against women and girls. Like the rest of my colleagues, I support the amendment and ask that we support the amended motion.

1,408 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 09:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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