Debate contribution: Nexus: 40th Anniversary

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 9 December 2024.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

9 December 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Nexus: 40th Anniversary

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4698796

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I really welcome the opportunity to speak, and I thank the members of the Women's Caucus for tabling the motion. In writing my speech, I struggled and found it difficult to articulate effectively how grateful I am for the Nexus staff. We hear all the time in our constituency offices from people who have lived through undeniable struggle, and we very often hear just how incredible the Nexus staff are. I hope that they are listening to the sentiments that are being shared across the Chamber. Those staff are incredibly valuable, and I am delighted that we are debating this topic. The staff at Nexus go above and beyond to support those in Northern Ireland who have endured the pain and suffering related to sexual trauma. The consequences of sexual trauma can be life ruining, but this vital service provides such a range of support for victims of sexual abuse right across the North. Any of us, at any time of our lives, can be a victim of sexual trauma, whether it is childhood sexual abuse, rape or sexual assault. Thankfully, Nexus NI has been there, holding the hands of people of all genders, all backgrounds, all beliefs, right across the North, guiding their healing journey to surviving trauma. Sadly, it was not long ago in the House, as rightly mentioned by other Members, that we were fighting for this incredible service to maintain funding so that it could adequately deliver support for thousands of victims right across the North. When the news came to light that Nexus could, potentially, have all its funding stopped completely, I received an influx of messages from constituents right across the constituency, of all different demographics. Most of those messages came through Facebook Messenger. Some spoke about having been raped as teenagers. One person mentioned that they had been violated by their ex-husband. I also spoke with others, who were male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. That is the range of people and victims whom we are talking about, and it is important to mention that here, today. Nexus was the first place that they felt safe. Nexus was their safe space. Funding Nexus is crucial. It is not only crucial but life saving. I am so grateful that its funding was reinstated. I firmly believe that Members across the House must ensure that that potential loss of funding never, ever happens again. One in four women and one in nine men in Northern Ireland will experience a sexual trauma in their lifetime. Sadly, over the past few years, we have seen a 50% increase in contacts to the domestic and sexual violence helpline, and sadly, even in the past month, we have seen a rise in rapes and reported sexual assaults, particularly in the north-west, which have been deeply upsetting. Let us not forget that sexual abuse is something that can impact on the whole family, not only children but, when it comes to light, parents too.

Yes.

Thank you, and I thank the Member for his intervention. Absolutely. It is undeniable, particularly when the person carrying out the abuse is also in the family. It is entirely disruptive for the entire family's life. Of course, the victim is at the very heart of that and their parents are right there with them. I wholeheartedly agree with the Member. Sinéad summarised it so well: we have come a long way. Sadly, the island of Ireland, North and South, has such a profound, dark history of abuse, particularly sexual abuse and institutionalised abuse. Although we have come far, we have a long way to go to tackle sexual assault, abuse and harm in the North. We cannot have this conversation today without talking about under-reporting. It is estimated that 80% of sexual violence cases go unreported. The honest answer is that we will never really know. We will never know, and the reasons for that are stigma, fear of not being believed, fear of appearing to be attention-seeking. We cannot blame people for not wanting to come forward for many reasons, from rape myths to more. It can be life ruining to take it to court, to seek justice. It could be career ruining. We, as a society, and we, as an Assembly, need to do all that we can to support victims and to challenge those mindsets. Reports show that between 2022 and 2023, the Police Service recorded that there were over 3,300 sexual offences, highlighting a concerning upward trend. I have no doubt that that is linked to online access to things such as pornography and to the rise of misogyny and normalised misogyny, both online — on TikTok, with the likes of Andrew Tate — and as we experience it each and every day, whether it is in the home or in the workplace. It is on each and every one of us to call out that behaviour and ensure that it is never normalised. Conviction rates for sexual violence offences in the North remain painfully low. That is what inspired me to bring forward a private Member's Bill that seeks to do all that we can in Northern Ireland to adequately support rape victims who are going through the courts here. I would like every victim and survivor who is listening today to know that they deserve justice and they deserve support. You will be believed. You will be listened to. All of us in the Northern Ireland Assembly will do all that we can to ensure that those people have the right to access support, and we will seek to challenge each and every rape myth and every instance of misogynistic behaviour and violent abuse that we see in our communities.

952 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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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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