Member's statement: Violence Against Women and Girls
Member's statement by Ms Claire Sugden on .
- MLA
- Ms Claire Sugden
- Party at the time
- Independent
- Date
- 24 February 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Violence Against Women and Girls
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4813421
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Recent events in Coleraine have once again highlighted the issue of women and girls' safety in Northern Ireland, the threat to which is pervasive. The discovery of a bag containing suspicious items near a family home has understandably caused distress in our community. Although the police indicated that the incident was domestic, other recent reports of women being followed in the area highlight the range of dangers that women face every day. I commend the police in Causeway Coast and Glens for their quick response to the recent event. They worked tirelessly throughout the week to get a result, which we will see in court today. Regrettably, Coleraine is not unique. The vulnerabilities experienced by women there reflect wider issues across Northern Ireland. The unsettling reality for women is that we have always navigated a world that is fraught with potential dangers, both public and private. For women, even walking in public in familiar spaces often requires a heightened sense of awareness. When doing simple things that many men take for granted, such as coming home after dark, we clutch keys between our fingers, we avoid certain routes and we get our phones ready to call for help. That constant state of alert is a lived reality for women and girls. The threat, however, is not confined to public spaces. Our homes, which should be havens of safety, are frequently places of unreported distress, and 32,763 incidents were reported to the PSNI last year. Although women face harassment, stalking and exploitation on social media platforms, Northern Ireland is not doing enough in that space. We could review the Malicious Communications Act 1988, otherwise it is just redundant legislation. We could introduce stalking protection orders to intervene earlier in cases of persistent harassment. As ever, tackling the issues requires a joined-up approach that goes beyond a reactive police response. Local councils have a role to play: better street lighting, more and more active CCTV in key areas and better maintenance of public spaces can make a real difference to making women feel safe. The justice system also really needs to improve. We need swift and decisive action when crimes are reported, sentencing outcomes that reflect the harm that is being caused, and timely investigations and processes. We need proper support for victims, and we need to make sure that perpetrators are dealt with appropriately so that women have confidence in the system. We need to be clear about the realities of violence against women and girls. While individuals from any background can be responsible for the behaviour, it is important to focus on facts rather than assumptions led by misinformation or prejudice. Most perpetrators are known to their victims — they are their partners, relatives, colleagues or acquaintances — and shifting blame to specific groups without any evidence only distracts from addressing the real and systemic issues at hand. The safety of women and girls demands our attention to ensure that every individual, regardless of background, can live without fear. Let us focus our efforts on tangible, immediate actions that make our community safer and more respectful for everyone.
518 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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