Debate contribution: Troubles-related Sexual Crimes and Child Sexual Abuse

Debate contribution by Ms Diana Armstrong on 17 February 2026.

MLA

Ms Diana Armstrong

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

17 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Troubles-related Sexual Crimes and Child Sexual Abuse

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5395082

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. I commend my colleague Doug Beattie for bringing the motion to the Chamber. I will echo many of the sentiments that have been expressed by Members from across the Assembly. It has been a hard listen at times. We acknowledge the pain and suffering that has gone unrecorded, and which really needs to be addressed through what the motion seeks to do. There are some issues that should not divide us along party lines, and this must be one of them. Even those who believe that there was no alternative to violence — I firmly maintain that there was and always will be — must surely accept that crimes of a sexual nature are profoundly insidious and utterly evil: there can be equivocation on that point. Sexual violence is not an unfortunate by-product of conflict: it is a deliberate act that destroys dignity, strips away innocence and leaves scars that last a lifetime. Around the world, we have seen how sexual abuse is used as a weapon of terror, deployed to instil fear, exert coercive control and shatter communities from within. Northern Ireland was not immune from that horror, yet too often those who suffered such crimes during the Troubles have been overlooked, marginalised or simply left out of the conversation. The lasting psychological impact of sexual abuse does not end with the individual: it radiates outwards, affecting families, relationships and entire support networks. A part of a person is irreparably damaged, physically and psychologically, and the trauma experienced can endure for decades. That is why the criteria for inclusion in the Legacy Commission cannot simply be lifted from another category, with a few words altered. These crimes require explicit and separate recognition. To subsume them under broader headings would once again render these victims invisible. The motion is not about scoring points at all. It is about principle, ensuring that those who suffered sexual abuse and child abuse during the Troubles are no longer overlooked, forgotten or treated as an afterthought in our legacy processes. If we truly wish to build a society based on justice and respect, we must start by recognising every victim, and ensuring that the victims of Troubles-related sexual violence are also entitled to a legacy investigation process and that these crimes are included in the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill. I turn to some Members' —.

Yes.

I am sure that that is noted. Thank you for that intervention. I turn to some of the contributions made in the Chamber. I welcome the support that has been given to the motion. In no particular order, I start with Sinéad McLaughlin. She gave us a very powerful representation of the need for the full story and the profound harm that women suffered in being subjected to violence and how that has remained in many cases unresolved and, as many Members echoed across the Chamber, there was a fear of going to the PSNI, or the RUC at that time. They felt that they would be excluded within their community if they spoke out, and there was a fear of what would happen to them for doing so. She said that victims deserve the full unvarnished truth. Deirdre Hargey spoke about how her father's experience affected their family and affected him. She said that any legacy legislation should be centred around international human rights in order to command confidence. Turning to —. I have actually lost my notes, because I was writing so much down to try to cover this. Timothy Gaston raised some issues, but we were speaking in the here and now about this debate today. I know that you accept the impact of violence against women and girls and of a sexual nature as well against children. You welcomed Doug Beattie's encouraging all victims to go to the PSNI. From the deputy First Minister, we heard about the work that the Executive Office is doing, and we heard that every victim deserves full justification and that their stories have to be heard. You made the very important point that those who perpetrated the crimes often went unreported and went on to be perpetrators in further instances. That is something that is very hard for people to see in the community: the same perpetrator was at large and able to continue those despicable acts. I thank everybody for their comments today, and I support the motion brought by the UUP. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 14:52 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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