Siobhan McAlister

Academic research suggests that Northern Ireland is one of the most dangerous places in Europe for women, with violence against them rising since the end of the Troubles. Following allegations of this sort of violence in the past week, disturbances have taken place in parts of Northern Ireland, raising wider issues including the adequacy of police funding to deal with these situations.

1. Introduction In September 2024, the devolved Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) launched their Strategic Framework to end violence against women and girls (The Executive Office, 2024a). In it, NIE sets out their vision for a changed society ‘where women and girls are free from all forms of gender-based violence, abuse and harm’ (p. 3).

The Joint Forum meets three times a year to promote constructive dialogue and propose ways forward to tackle the challenges faced by both the voluntary and community sector and public sector. The voluntary and community sector group also meets three times a year independently from the public sector group ahead of each full meeting. The role of a VCS Joint Forum member The VCS group is made up of 15 representatives from the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland.