Society “must and can do better” to work to end violence against women and girls, Northern Ireland’s First Minister has said. Michelle O’Neill expressed her horror at the murder of seven women in the region in 2024 and vowed to press the Stormont Executive’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.
She said launching it had been a “top priority” for the Executive and that she would continue to ensure the strategy’s targets were delivered. But she said everyone in society shared a responsibility “to challenge the misogyny that enables such heinous crimes to persist”.
There were community vigils held earlier in December following the murder of mother-of-two Karen Cummings, 40, in Banbridge. Ms O’Neill noted that behind the death of each of the seven women were families “left shattered by grief”. “As a society, we must and can do better,” she said.
“That’s why launching the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy was a top priority for this Executive, and why I will continue to ensure the strategy’s targets are delivered. “We all share a responsibility to challenge the misogyny that enables such heinous crimes to persist.
“Women should feel safe in every street, town, and city across this island.”. The Stormont Assembly was resurrected in January 2024 after a period of political instability. Ms O’Neill made history by becoming the first nationalist or republican to serve as first minister at Stormont.
