Debate contribution: Nexus: 40th Anniversary
Debate contribution by Ms Diana Armstrong on .
- MLA
- Ms Diana Armstrong
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 9 December 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Nexus: 40th Anniversary
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4698776
Read the official Assembly record
Text
As a new member of the Women's Caucus, I thank its chairperson for proposing the motion. The 40th anniversary of Nexus is a significant milestone. For four decades, Nexus has been a beacon of hope and support for countless individuals impacted by sexual abuse and abusive relationships. It has been at the forefront of that battle, providing a wide range of essential and therapeutic services to support women. In County Fermanagh, I am familiar with the work of Nexus, which delivers discreet counselling services and advice to meet a growing demand in the rural community. In remote rural areas, we have often seen victims suffer enduring isolation and violence due to peripherality. That means that many incidences go unreported and victims experience a lifetime of violence and fear as a result. There has been much work of late from Departments on that topic. The strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, which was launched by the Executive Office, serves as a powerful example of our collective dedication to that cause. The framework emphasises a whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach. It aims to prevent violence before it starts, support victims and survivors and change the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate abuse. Additionally, the domestic and sexual abuse strategy from the Departments of Health and Justice, which is designed around the pillars of partnership, prevention, support and justice, further strengthens our efforts. It is time that we addressed the root causes of abuse, provided the right support to those affected and held the perpetrators accountable. It is not just a women's issue: as we have heard from other contributors, it is a societal crisis that demands urgent and decisive action from all of us. In Northern Ireland, on average, a domestic abuse incident is reported to police every 16 minutes and a sexual offence every two hours. The awful reality is that, during the 12 months up to 30 April 2024, PSNI data reports that there were 4,090 sexual violence and abuse incidents in Northern Ireland. Nexus plays an important role in providing bespoke training for front-line officers in the PSNI whose role is to respond to rape and sexual abuse incidents. Over 500 specialist officers and serious crime officers have been trained by Nexus to date. That training is essential to building confidence in victims who are coming forward to report those incidents. As a trusted organisation, Nexus provides counselling and compassionate aftercare so that victims can rebuild their lives. This evening, we have heard some really harrowing statistics that underline the demand on the services that Nexus offers. It is important that we all build on the legacy of the last mandate, when the Domestic Abuse (Safe Leave) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022, the Protection from Stalking Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and the Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 brought Northern Ireland into line with or, in many ways, put it ahead of other jurisdictions in regard to legal interventions to protect women and girls from violence, abuse and unwanted attention and to support victims. I join other Members in paying tribute to Nexus and all similar organisations that work to support and protect victims of sexual abuse and abusive relationships. I commend the tireless efforts of all those who work with Nexus across Northern Ireland. Their dedication, compassion and resilience are the driving forces behind the progress that has been made in supporting survivors and combating abuse. It is incumbent on all of us to support the motion.
582 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: 0.03 (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 (0.76).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.99).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- 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 | 0.05 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.76 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.99 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.76 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.24 |
| 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 11:41 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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