Debate contribution: Violence against Women and Girls: Deaths of Amy Doherty and Ellie Flanagan
Debate contribution by Mrs Ciara Ferguson on .
- MLA
- Mrs Ciara Ferguson
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 23 March 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matter of the Day
- Heading
- Violence against Women and Girls: Deaths of Amy Doherty and Ellie Flanagan
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5465156
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The tragic loss of another young woman's life, in Derry this weekend, is a horrific reminder that we have a long way to go to end the scourge that is violence against women and girls in our society. In fewer than three weeks, three women have lost their lives in the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Since 2020, 30 women have been murdered. This recent devastation in Derry city has left two young children without their mother and another family to try to pick up the pieces that should never have been broken. I want to take a moment to express our collective support across the Chamber to Amy Doherty's children, wider family, friends, loved ones and local community in Derry city as they come to terms with the latest tragedy.
Enough is enough. No more families should be left to bury their daughters. No more children should be left to grow up without their mothers. No more women should be shamed, stigmatised and silenced in our society. Whether on our streets, in our schools or workplaces, or in our homes, women deserve to feel safe and be safe. The epidemic of misogyny and violence against women and girls is a public safety crisis, and we have the highest rate of femicide in Europe. It begins with the very fundamentals that we teach our children: equality, respect and responsibility for our own behaviour. It continues into adulthood by never looking the other way and never minimising or normalising misogynist words, actions or behaviour. Even when it feels uncomfortable, we have to call that out. Women can be surrounded by people and still feel unsafe, so the importance of bystander awareness and intervention cannot be overstated. We all have a duty to remember their names and honour their lives by working together, by implementing the strategic framework to end violence against women and girls, and by supporting Women's Aid in its work to challenge attitudes, structures and systems that perpetuate domestic violence. If we support women only when it is easy, nothing will change. Let us speak with one voice. Ending violence against women and girls in our society is everyone's responsibility.
360 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: 0.04 (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).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.90).
- Subject area: Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups.
- 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 | 0.12 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.57 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.04 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.90 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.10 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.81 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.19 |
| 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 15:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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