Sinn Fein representatives locally have condemned abuse hurled at Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart and DUP colleague and MLA Diane Dodds as they attended the High Court in Belfast at the weekend, where an appeal had been lodged against an approved march at Drumcree.
Both had been present to support the Portadown District No 1 after a challenge was made by the Garvaghy Road residents against the Parades Commission’s determination to allow the march on Sunday past to proceed.
While the appeal raised questions over the assessment surrounding the policing of the planned parade, it was ultimately ruled – in a late-night judgement – that it should be allowed.
The stand-off surrounding Drumcree continues, as the parade did not take place after residents came out onto the road in their thousands.
But while the situation remained tense on the ground, a short distance away – in Craigavon Civic Centre – harmony was the watchword, as all parties united to back a motion aimed at supporting efforts to address ‘Ending Violence Against Women and Girls’.
Brought by Sinn Fein, the motion – which ultimately was passed with unanimous support on Monday night – will see the creation of a dedicated charter locally, and one which will support the Executive Office’s aims.
Councillor Brona Haughey, in tabling the motion at the chamber, said: “Violence against women and girls remains one of the most serious issues facing our society. It affects women and girls from every community, every background, every age group. The impact is far-reaching, affecting not only victims and survivors, but also families, communities and public services.
“While important work is already underway through the Executive’s strategic frameworks to end violence against women and girls, and fantastic work being done by our council officers, an example being the second annual Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Conference in March this year, there’s a real opportunity for this council to continue to demonstrate leadership by developing a local charter that reflects the needs, priorities and experiences of people living across this council area.
“This motion is not about creating something in isolation. It’s about working collaboratively with the stakeholders involved in delivering the regional strategy, alongside statutory agencies, community and voluntary organisations and, crucially, people with lived experience. It’s about our council taking the lead and setting an example, as we have already been doing.
“The voices of those with lived experience must be central to this process. Their experiences provide an invaluable insight into the challenges women and girls face – and the changes that are needed to make our community safer and more supportive.
“The development of this charter would bring together key stakeholders, community representatives and people with lived experience to ensure that all perspectives, thoughts and opinions are heard, considered and, of course, respected.
“We can ensure that this charter is meaningful, evidence-based and genuinely reflective of the needs of our communities, rather than being a document developed behind closed doors. The charter would provide a shared framework for action across our district, encouraging organisations, businesses, schools, sports clubs, community groups and public bodies to commit to promoting respect, equality and safety, while taking a zero tolerance approach to violence, abuse, harassment and misogyny.
“This is about creating a lasting cultural change and sending a clear message that violence against women and girls has no place in our society. It’s about working together to build a council where every woman and girl feels safe, valid and respected.”
DUP Councillor Margaret Tinsley was first and fast to voice support on behalf of her party, declaring: “Violence, intimidation and especially verbal abuse should never be accepted as any part of everyday life.”
And turning to what had transpired at the weekend, she added: “Only on Saturday, I was deeply saddened to witness the abuse, the verbal abuse, directed towards my friends, Diane Dodds MLA and Carla Lockhart MP, outside Belfast High Court.
“They’d simply gone out for a coffee, yet were subjected to completely unacceptable verbal abuse, with others standing by and, in some cases, actually joining in.
“Whatever our differences in opinion, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. No woman should have to face intimidation, threats, or especially verbal abuse, because of who she is, what she believes or the roles she carries out in life.
“And we all have to play our part in speaking out against this kind of behaviour and in creating a culture where women and girls feel safe, respected and supported. And so I thank you, Councillor Haughey, for bringing this, and I hope that actually those individuals that partake in this listen to what we are raising here tonight.”
Sinn Fein Lord Mayor Mary O’Dowd said she “couldn’t disagree in any way” with what the DUP representative had said.
And she added: “I spoke at length actually the morning before, with Carla, at an event we were both at and this very conversation came up. And both of us, we can believe it, but it’s hard to take in, the abuse females, women and girls, take in all roles, as well as politics.”
Alliance Councillor Jessica Johnston also voiced agreement with the issues raised by Alderman Tinsley and went on to offer her party’s support for the motion.
She said: “It is an issue that we cannot afford to lose sight of, and it should go without saying that all forms of violence and abuse against women and girls are unacceptable.
“For us in ABC Council, I strongly believe that both councillors and staff recognise our collective responsibilities in supporting the Executive Office’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) strategy.
“While TEO launched that strategy two years ago, I do have to commend our council, as we were already ahead in our thinking and action since 2020, delivering a range of social media campaigns on several EVAWG topics and delivering programmes and conferences supporting this work, in partnership with organisations like Women’s Aid and Southern Trust.
“We should pay credit to our safeguarding team within council and those staff members responsible for delivery of the EVAWG funding. In the past year, it’s been really great to see our council assisting local community groups to deliver innovative community-led initiatives through the administration of the TEO funding, with almost £193,000 allocated to over 18 local community groups to support their projects.
“The fruits of this labour cannot come quickly enough, but I know that, as a council collectively, we are committed to playing a central role in delivering a society where women and girls are free from abuse and harm, so the charter would be another way that we can build upon the work we are doing as a council to address this issue.”
SDLP Councillor Thomas O’Hanlon said he “wholeheartedly” backed the motion and went on to second it.
But while Alderman Tinsley had made specific reference to verbal abuse, Councillor O’Hanlon said it also needed to “reflect physical abuse, sexual abuse and misogyny”.
“I suppose as a father to two wee girls, it’s about worrying about what society we are bringing our daughters up in,” he added. “But one thing I would say is that the Ending Violence strategy out of the Executive Office and this charter, it needs to be more than empty promises.
“It needs to be funded and it needs to be for meaningful services; yes, in terms of change in society as a whole, but where women face abuse and they need to turn for help, there needs to be real and meaningful services in place and in place at the time when they’re needed.”
TUV Councillor Keith Ratcliffe said he was also “more than happy” to support the motion and was in agreement too with what Alderman Tinsley had raised in relation to the abuse directed towards both Carla Lockhart and Diane Dodds.
“No ladies should have to go through what those ladies went through at the weekend,” said Councillor Ratcliffe. “It was definitely, totally wrong.”
He also thanked the council for delivering a “fantastic” event last year highlighting the issues and concerns around violence against women and girls.
“One of the things that came out of that was the fear that women have going down our local towns and our local streets at the moment, particularly some even in Portadown here, whenever it comes to the edge of dark,” said Councillor Ratcliffe.
“There’s a real change. Whereas our towns used to be okay for women to walk in, there’s a fear now, and that shouldn’t be the case.
“Young girls and ladies should be able to walk everywhere without fear, and that’s a big, big issue, and I think the police really need to get a grip of that as well.
“I’ve three daughters myself. I’d be fearful for them at times, and especially if they’re getting into their cars late at night, so I really think it’s so, so important that there’s some protection for all our women throughout the whole of ABC – not even ABC, but the whole of Northern Ireland – because some of the fatalities that we’ve had in recent years is absolutely horrendous, so I’m happy that this came to the chamber here tonight.”
Councillor Haughey thanked all for their support and said she looked forward to the charter being created.
At the same time, she too also agreed with the comments made by Alderman Tinsley in relation to the treatment of her DUP colleagues in Belfast.
“I also would condemn the abuse that was suffered over the weekend,” she said, “and I think no matter what position that you hold, whether it be in public or private life, that you should not be exposed to abuse of any kind, especially not when it doesn’t refer to different political opinions, because we can have constructive arguments on that without resorting to abuse, because that’s the opposite of what we’re here to do and it’s the opposite of the sort of community and the place that we’re trying to create.”
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