The statistics painting the terrible picture of the dramatic rise in violence against women and girls across Northern Ireland have been arriving with alarming regularity. With each passing week it seems that more are added to the mix.
The biggest headline grabber is that since the start of 2017, 42 women and girls have died violently here — all but one the victim of a male attacker.
Students have taken to the streets of Belfast and Londonderry to call for more action for protect women, to make the streets safe, but much of the damage is being done in the home, out of sight.
Reports of domestic violence have been rising too.
In June 2023, a new standalone crime was introduced in Northern Ireland — non-fatal strangulation. And when you looked at the statistics outlining that victims are eight times more likely to be murdered by their partner if non-fatal strangulation has occurred beforehand, it shows exactly why it needed to be treated as seriously as it now is.
Since the new criminal offence was brought to the table just a year and a half ago, 1,233 arrests have been made. That’s 77 on average every month.
Once more, those statistics reveal that the vast majority of those arrests have been male.
Making non-fatal strangulation a specific, serious and known offence has helped. That sends the message that it is a crime.
No matter what people may see online, it is not a normal practice, and people need to be educated on exactly what the dangers are.
Loss of consciousness can occur within 10 seconds and brain death in five minutes. It really can become a serious situation that quickly; it is putting someone’s life at risk.
It makes it all the more important that young people know those risks. It also reinforces the urgent need for appropriate education on healthy relationships.
The PSNI’s Non-Fatal Strangulation Toolkit puts it bluntly: “Often strangulation is glorified as a gratifying act for both parties in pornography. This is not a fun, ‘consensual’ act. You could face up to 14 years in prison — or worse, you could end somebody’s life.”
Too many continue to heed that warning. And the consequences can be tragic.
Sonya McMullan, regional services manager for Women’s Aid Federation NI, brands the numbers “unbelievable”. But they are there, in black and white, and must be believed.
As a society we need to be aware of the dangers; that non-fatal strangulation is now being treated as a crime; and that, though non-fatal, it could easily have proved so, and is often the prelude to even more serious consequences in the future.