Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of violence against women in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the rest of Europe.

Violence against women and girls is a national emergency and last year seven women were killed in Northern Ireland. Through my ongoing engagement with organisations working to support victims and survivors and tackle this societal issue, it is clear that there are additional challenges unique to the Northern Ireland context. I welcome the Northern Ireland Executive’s Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls that places the overall emphasis on prevention, tackling the root causes, and stopping the violence before it starts.