The tragic news of the murder of Amy Doherty in Derry yesterday means that 30 women have now been murdered in the Six Counties since 2020, the vast majority as a result of domestic violence.
This latest news comes less than two weeks after 23 year old Ellie Flanagan was murdered in Fermanagh. Despite never-ending reports, strategies, commitments and condemnations from those in Stormont, the reality is that violence against women too often doesn’t appear to be a priority. It’s clear that the epidemic of violence against women shows no sign of abating.
Speaking on Sunday, Lasair Dhearg Chairperson in Belfast, Amy Margaret said “Women increasingly feel unsafe, vulnerable and, with the PSNI filled with domestic abusers themselves, with no-one to turn to for help.”
“The solution to the problem begins and ends with men. Almost every one of those 30 women were murdered by men they were close to. And it is up to men to challenge, at home, at work, in bars, or anywhere else they find themselves, the toxic and ultimately deadly misogyny that is still far too commonplace in our society.”
She continued, “It’s no use comforting ourselves with a false sense of progress, with stories of powerful women in boardrooms, representation in the PSNI or the Civil Service. On paper, the two most powerful people in the Six Counties are women and yet this epidemic of violence if anything seems to be accelerating.”
It is no use tinkering around the edges. We need a fundamental change in our society. We call for a Socialist Republic in Ireland. That Republic will not have been achieved while women occupy a lesser place in the minds and actions of our people.
