Debate contribution: International Women’s Day 2025

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 4 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

4 March 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

International Women’s Day 2025

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4833619

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I too welcome Aoife to the Chamber. It is great to have another woman on board. You did very well today. It is a pleasure to contribute to the debate, to celebrate the women in and around my constituency on International Women's Day and to share some of the uplifting things that they do to take care of the people in our communities in East Derry. Every day, across my constituency, women are brave, women are bold and women help others while struggling themselves and sharing their stories online. I will mention a few of those incredible women. I thank Selina from the White Butterfly Foundation, which is devoted to offering compassionate, personalised and professional psychological support to parents grieving the profound loss of miscarriage, baby loss and neonatal death, for sharing her own painful story and using it as a power to change the lives of others. I thank Olivia McVeigh for being so open online about her struggles with the agony of endometriosis and for talking openly about her treatment for early menopause in her 20s and her journey with alopecia. It is so brave to tackle the stigma that often comes with those health issues. She is breaking down barriers so that other women who endure them feel seen and heard. I thank Taylor-Rae Falconer for opening up about the difficult journey of female infertility, often a deeply personal event and issue, about which she shares so well online. I thank Laura McNeilly for advocating harsher sentencing for paedophiles in Northern Ireland in order to keep the children in all our communities safe and for advocating changes to the law. I thank our very own Lilian Seenoi-Barr, the current Mayor of Derry, for her advocacy and bravery after enduring horrific racist abuse online. She is just incredible. I thank Val in Portrush, who works for Reach, which is a community support network that, to be honest, is driven by women. Reach focuses on tackling loneliness and helping the vulnerable. Its volunteers utilise every moment of their spare time to give back to the community. I give particular thanks to a woman called Becca, who works for West Bann Development. She offers a safe, non-judgemental space for so many young girls and other young people to come and ask for help. I thank Grainne in Feeny, who works at Destined, which is a group that does incredible work with adults with special educational needs in our rural communities, serving Feeny, Park, Dungiven and Claudy. This year's theme is accelerating action to achieve gender equality and end bias. A huge part of that involves educating the public on female mental and physical health issues. On that note, I thank the brave women around the Chamber such as Órlaithí Flynn and Kellie Armstrong, who have shared their stories of baby loss and miscarriage. I thank our very own East Derry woman Claire Sugden, who publicly spoke so eloquently about her journey with postpartum depression. I also thank Joanne Bunting for sharing her story of having breast cancer and for being so brave to speak about that. Every day in here, we shout and yell at one another, but I sit with quiet admiration for many of the stories that are shared in this place. They are not only educating me but educating the public. I thank those ladies for their contributions and for coming forward and sharing their personal stories about their struggles. Their bravery is noted, and I thank them for it. I also thank Women's Aid, Nexus, Rape Crisis NI and the sexual offences legal adviser (SOLA) team, which support women who are victims and survivors of rape and sexual harassment and assault. When we talk about accelerating action, we also need to create a society that adequately supports victims. Sadly, in the North of Ireland, less than 2% of rape cases result in a conviction: that is disgraceful. No one should fear the process of seeking justice for a sexual crime. In Northern Ireland, rape counselling notes can be used against victims in court, and I feel really strongly that that must change. I dedicate my speech to the women and girls of Palestine, who have endured such unbelievable violence, trauma and agony over the past 513 days. Those women have witnessed their loved ones die or be wrongfully imprisoned. They have been left with no food to nourish their children. Pregnant women have been left without nourishment, water or hospitals and appropriate healthcare. I think of them today and every day. I think of their potential, the barriers to fulfilling that potential and the cowardice from the current and former UK and US Governments in not adequately speaking up for and supporting them. My hope is that we can all continue in our positions to platform the struggles of women in the North and globally to ensure that, one day, we are all equal.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification