Debate contribution: Victims and Survivors
Debate contribution by Ms Michelle O'Neill on .
- MLA
- Ms Michelle O'Neill
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 21 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Victims and Survivors
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4603712
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you for that. I commend the Member for the statement that she made earlier. Of course, we all send our heartfelt condolences to the families of each and every one of those women who have lost their lives because of violence against women and girls. Twenty-four women have been murdered since 2020. They were daughters, mothers, sisters and friends, and those figures absolutely speak to an epidemic of violence against women and girls. Let me outline again today the message that we delivered when we launched our strategy: words are not enough. Now is past the time for talking, and that is why ending violence against women and girls has been a day-1 priority for me and for the deputy First Minister and why it is a priority in the draft Programme for Government. Our seven-year strategic framework and our first delivery plan, which were launched last month, will work to end this scourge on society, but, as the Member will know, at the heart of that plan is the preventative work and the education piece that must be carried through. This will take some time, but it is the beginning of what may well be a generational journey where the end point must be the building of a society where women and girls live free from all forms of violence, abuse and harm. Together, we must make that work happen.
232 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.04 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.67).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.93).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging 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 | 0.07 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.67 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.93 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.07 |
| 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 11:25 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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