SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin
Said the Foyle MLA: “Domestic and sexual abuse are some of the most heinous crimes in our society and it is only right that a Strategy is being developed to tackle them, alongside the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. I am pleased that a draft has now been produced for consultation.
“However, I believe this draft Strategy will come as a significant disappointment to many across the North, especially those who are working on this issue.
“It is nowhere near ambitious enough and many of the points contained within the draft Strategy are much too vague, with actions unclear and outcomes non-measurable.
“Moreover, the specific needs of a variety of groups, including LGBT+, ethnic minority, disabled and rural communities, go virtually unaddressed in this draft Strategy.
“This Strategy is an opportunity to set a vision of a society where domestic and sexual abuse is eradicated and where we marshal the resources of government to achieve that aim. Unfortunately, this Strategy in its current form will not meet that necessary ambition.
“I have made it clear in my response to this consultation that we need a much more far-reaching Strategy that appropriately deals with the significant issues that victims of domestic and sexual abuse face.
“Within my response, I have also called for the collection of comprehensive and disaggregated data and a more robust focus on the prevention of these crimes in the first place.
“I look forward to the Department of Justice listening to the feedback of those organisations working in the sector and producing a more effective strategy that can effectively deal with these crimes once and for all.”
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