Pandemic has left many in vulnerable domestic situations
THE shocking murder of Sarah Everard in London, followed by the fatal stabbing of two women in Newtownabbey at the weekend, has thrust the issue of violence against women and girls into the headlines.
Behind every tragedy there is a family, and the impact of violent abuse and murder can cause a trickle down of trauma that lasts generations.
Two children have lost a mother due to the events in Rathcoole, when Ken Flanagan killed his mum Karen Mcclean and girlfriend Stacey Knell before taking his own life.
They bring to eight the number of women murdered here since the first lockdown last March.
The pandemic has left many in vulnerable domestic situations. Lockdown for some means being locked up with their abuser with no escape from violent, abusive, controlling behaviour.
Northern Ireland remains behind the rest of these islands in terms of legislation to protect those vulnerable from abuse.
There is currently no coercive control legislation, no stalking legislation, an outdated and expensive family court system for issuing protective orders. A bill outlawing ‘rough sex’ as a defence for murder has already been passed in England and Wales but does not apply here.
We have a prohibitively slow judicial system that leaves many victims of abuse waiting for months and even years for prosecutions to reach the courts.
The Domestic Abuse Bill, delayed for three years during the collapse of the Assembly, is now in the final stages of being passed into law.
It seeks to address many of these issues with updated legislation, but there are fears the lack of financial resources attached to the bill will prevent the new laws being properly implemented.
While legislation is gender neutral and will seek to protect all victims of violence, whether male or female, the fact remains the majority of victims are women and girls and that requires specific, cross-departmental cooperation to deal with the issue.
This includes preventative measures, education, proper protection of those in need of help, tougher sentencing and a change in the perception and stigma around domestic abuse.
We are the only part of the United Kingdom that does not have a specific strategy dedicated to tackling gender-based violence. Women and girls are being let down simply because of where they live.
Justice Minister Naomi Long has vowed to make passing new legislation a priority during her time in post.
But for many victims, very different women, crossing all age demographics and social backgrounds, change will come too late.
The deaths of those women, possibly murdered by people they knew — relatives or partners — did not always receive the coverage they warranted at the time. The Belfast Telegraph seeks to redress that today.
These women should not be allowed to become statistics in a never-ending cycle of violence against women sometimes in the one place they should have been safe — their own home.