Too many women feel unsafe in Northern Ireland - and that should trouble us all - DUP leader
Too many women in Northern Ireland feel unsafe – a situation which should “trouble every one of us”, Gavin Robinson has said.
The DUP leader’s comment come after a week of headlines dominated by violence against local women and growing calls for Stormont leaders to do more to deal with the issue.
On Friday, a 30-year-old man appeared in court accused of the murder of Amy Doherty in Londonderry last Saturday. On Monday, Stephen McCullagh, 36, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, was convicted of the murder of Natalie McNally – who was 32 when she was beaten, strangled and stabbed in her own home.
Mr Robinson says that “it is easy, when these stories come in waves”, for people to become desensitised – but that “must not happen”.
“We owe it to those victims to do more than just express sympathy. We also need to be straight about the wider picture. These crimes do not begin on the day they are committed. They are shaped over time by influences and by what is seen as normal at home.
“Young people today are growing up in a very different environment. We must face the reality that boys are easily accessing violent pornography from their phone at younger ages. This frames their view of sex and relationships.
“The so-called ‘manosphere’, as highlighted in a recent Netflix documentary by Louis Theroux shows us that there are websites and influencer channels where the view of women is rooted in objectification and entitlement.
“That kind of thinking does not stay online. It filters into real life”, the DUP leader said in his weekly email to party members.
“None of that however removes personal responsibility. Those who commit these crimes must be held fully accountable. But if we are serious about prevention, we have to be willing to look at what is influencing behaviour long before any crime is committed” he said.
The Executive’s strategy to tackle the issue is a 7 year plan, started in 2024, which aims to “build a society wide movement for prevention to drive the transformational change that is needed to end violence against women and girls”.