Member's statement: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
Member's statement by Ms Cara Hunter on .
- MLA
- Ms Cara Hunter
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 12 November 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4658220
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise to speak about an issue that matters greatly to my constituents, which is ending violence against women and girls. Over the past number of weeks, we have seen a disgusting increase in attacks on women, particularly in the north-west. Last week, in Guildhall Square, I stood shoulder to shoulder with some of my constituents and men, women and children from across the wider north-west area when we joined together at a rally to stand up against that disgusting behaviour. It was an emotional and thought-provoking moment. All speakers spoke of the power and importance of encouraging healthy relationships from a young age and of ensuring that we uplift and empower young men in our communities to be part of that conversation and to make the right decisions. What can be done in our society to support young boys as they become men? To dig a little deeper on that important topic, I have been chatting to PhD researcher Nicole Devlin, who is based at Queen's University Belfast. Nicole conducted research in America on projects that can help to build up young men and help them to establish, early in their lives, healthy relationships with women. I thought that I would use my speech to give a platform to one answer that is out there for working with young boys that could be utilised in the North if it were funded correctly. High levels of misogyny and violence towards women and girls in our society cannot continue. When Nicole was on her trip, she met Futures Without Violence and saw the Coaching Boys into Men programme. It is an incredible project that we could replicate here. In that programme, training is delivered by a male coach or teacher who is known to the student, so they are a trusted role model. That is what makes it so successful; young boys receive information from someone whom they trust, and they can open up and discuss sensitive issues in a safe and trusting environment. That programme is evidenced. It has had a worldwide impact. Studies show that it is highly effective. It is trauma-informed. It underpins how we understand young people and those who come from significant deprivation, dysfunctional family homes and communities with a lack of resources. Key investment in projects and programmes such as that is absolutely fundamental to tackling violence against women and girls. We have fantastic sports groups, such as the GAA, rugby clubs and football clubs, which do incredible work locally. We can tap into that. The project not only addresses misogyny and disrespectful attitudes towards women and girls but discusses other issues that young people, particularly boys, face. Many boys come from homes without a strong father figure or male role model to guide them. It is so important that the Assembly, as an institution, stands up and ends violence against women and girls and replicates models and programmes that have been utilised in other countries to ensure that every woman and girl in the North of Ireland feels safe to walk the streets on which she was raised.
514 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 (0.87).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.85).
- 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 | 0.08 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.87 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.85 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.15 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.75 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.25 |
| 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 11:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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