Violence against women is embedded in NI, O'Neill tells Assembly

Independent

a day ago

The problem of violence against women and girls is 'embedded' in Northern Ireland, First Minister Michelle O'Neill has said.
However, the First Minister said she does not accept that the situation cannot be turned around and called for a 'whole of society' approach to dealing with it.
For the second day, a number of MLAs at Stormont expressed condolences following the murder of pregnant mother-of-two Sarah Montgomery in Co Down.
A man is being questioned on suspicion of murder after the 27-year-old died at her home in Elmfield Walk in Donaghadee on Saturday.
Answering questions at the Northern Ireland Assembly, Ms O'Neill said: 'I can't even imagine what her family are going through.
'A young mummy expecting her next child, her whole life ahead of her and taken from her family in the most devastating way.'
Ms O'Neill updated MLAs on actions taken as part of the Executive's Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy, stating there needed to be a 'whole of society' approach.
Ms O'Neill said the Executive Office had committed £3.2 million until next March to support the strategy.
She said funding had already been provided to local councils to enable them to build awareness of the issue and to hold information events.
The First Minister said all councils in Northern Ireland had now opened up a local change fund to 'get right into the grassroots of community and voluntary organisations'.
She said a regional change fund had also been established with funding of £1.2 million.
Ms O'Neill said: 'All this information paints a positive picture for what we have been able to achieve to date, but there is no doubt about it there is much more work to be done.
'We are off to a strong start but I think we need to collectively keep moving forward in the right direction together.'
She added: 'We have to get into the weeds of this and it is going to take everybody working together to do so.'
Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan said: 'Another young woman, another mother, another daughter has had her life brutally stolen from her this week.
'First Minister will you join with me in expressing our condolences to Sarah Montgomery's family who are undoubtedly experiencing unimaginable pain?'
The First Minister responded 'I think the fact that so many members are raising this issue shows me that people in this Chamber care about ending violence against women and girls.
'Sarah Montgomery had her whole life ahead of her, a beautiful woman, two children and one on the way.
'That tragedy is just unimaginable for so many people.
'This is another woman in our society who has had her life robbed from her in the most grotesque and barbaric fashion.
'Every woman lost isn't another statistic, it isn't another number, it is a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an aunt, and her life has just been taken from her.
'We need to do everything we can to address this issue.
'It is not unique to us but we have a really, really embedded problem.
'But I don't accept we can't turn it around, I believe we can turn it around but it is going to take all of us facing the same way.'