Write a comment
Downpatrick councillor Conor Galbraith has proposed instituting November 25th as a day for the elimination of violence against women and girls in Newry, Mourne and Down. The day would see a series of educational and awareness raising events take place.
Councillor Galbraith is bringing a motion before council on Monday asking members to add their voices to calls for a fully funded strategy to tackle the issue.
He cited shocking statistics that 98% of women in the North have experienced at least one form of violence or abuse in their lives.
Councillor Galbraith said “Having had family members subjected to abuse and harassment and seeing the trauma and long lasting impact that violence against women and girls can have, this is an issue that is particularly close to my heart. The statistics around this are shocking, nearly every women in the North will have experienced some form of abuse at some stage in their lives and I feel that far too many people still have their heads buried in the sand when it comes to this scourge on our society.
“In recent years we have seen it reported that the North is among the most dangerous places for women in Europe and that is something that should give all of us pause. Like so many important pieces of work, a fully funded strategy to tackle violence against women and girls has fallen by the wayside because of the lack of an Assembly and Executive at Stormont. If we are ever to get to grips with this issue and change the toxic attitudes that lead to so much harm then we must start with education around these issues and implement a plan that includes a wide range of stakeholders so that we can send a clear message that violence or harassment will not be tolerated.
“My colleague Sinéad McLaughlin has spent years working tirelessly to highlight this issue and a strategy will be a key priority for the SDLP Opposition team when Stormont returns. I believe that council can send a powerful message that we stand with women and girls by backing this motion and setting aside November 25th as a day to raise awareness around this issue and the damage it does, not just to communities in Newry, Mourne and Down, but across the North.”
The Motion
Noting with concern findings that 98% of women in Northern Ireland have experienced at least one form of violence or abuse in their lifetime, with 50% experiencing this before they were 11 years old, this Council upholds its commitment to ending violence against women and girls; reaffirms that violence, abuse and harm against women and girls cuts across all generations and communities; calls for the delivery of a fully- funding strategy to end violence against women and girls; and commits to instituting November 25th as Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls Day across the District with a series of events to help educate, raise awareness and end this abhorrent humanitarian abuse.
