Reforms will tackle domestic abuse and gender-based violence says Minister Long
A suite of legislative and strategic reforms will help tackle domestic abuse and gender-based violence and offer support to victims.
That is the message from Justice Minister Naomi Long as the PSNI mark the third anniversary of their action plan to tackle violence against women and girls.
The Minister said: “Since taking up my post, I have been tireless in my commitment to tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence.
“Criminalising stalking, upskirting / downblousing, non-fatal strangulation, and spiking closes long-standing legal gaps and sends a clear message that such violence and intimidation will not be tolerated in our society.
“I also intend to make the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images of adults a criminal offence and I am currently consulting on these proposals.”
The Minister has introduced a sweeping package of legislative and strategic reforms aimed at tackling violence against women and girls, strengthening victim protections, and transforming the justice system’s response to gender-based harm.
The Minister added: “During the period 2023 to 2024 there were 206 prosecutions for stalking offences and 344 for non-fatal strangulation.
“This clearly demonstrates the new laws are working and are affording protections as never before.”
In addition to the legislative protections, the Minister highlighted the services available to victims of sexual offences including the Sexual Offences Legal Advisors Scheme (SOLA).
She said: “Cases involving a sexual offence can be some of the most traumatic.
“The SOLA scheme helps victims navigate the criminal justice system and provides survivors with independent legal support up to the point the trial begins.
“To date the scheme has provided free legal advice and support to more than 2,000 victims. Given the success of the scheme, I have expanded it to include child victims.”
In addition, the department supports the delivery of Domestic Abuse Contest Courts (DACC) using the Belfast Remote Evidence Centre (REC).
“The DACC involves several Domestic Abuse contests being listed on the same day with all complainants providing their evidence from the Belfast REC. To date, there have been 11 DACC days and 51 cases listed”.
The Minister said: “The conviction rate for DACC cases stands at 90%. Well over half are by guilty plea with the witness not required to give oral evidence.
“Feedback from victims, the judiciary and criminal justice partners has been overwhelmingly positive and indeed many victims have indicated they would not have continued with their cases had it not been for the DACC and the ability to give evidence from a REC.”
Concluding, the Minister highlighted the importance of cultural and behavioural changes in bringing about change. She said: “Legislation alone cannot solve these problems. Society can no longer turn a blind eye or accept such actions as part of ‘normal’ life.
“We must challenge old-school attitudes that enable such abuse and instead empower our communities to intervene.
” If we can bring about cultural and behavioural change, coupled with the legal protections, we can help create a safer society for all.”
The Department continues to collaborate and work in partnership with The Executive Office, which leads the Programme for Government priority action to End Violence Against Women and Girls.
