January 9th 2025.
As the Alliance MP for Lagan Valley, Sorcha Eastwood recently shared a harrowing experience during a debate on violence against women and girls. She spoke about a disturbing incident that took place when she was serving in the Northern Ireland parliament. It happened while she was giving a tour to a group of schoolchildren at the Stormont building. In the midst of the tour, a member of the public threatened to rape her. The shock of the situation left those around her frozen, and she expressed disappointment in their lack of response.
Eastwood emphasized that this was not an isolated incident. She disclosed that she received her first rape threat in 2017 when she first ran for election, but has received more since then. This is a shocking reality for women in Northern Ireland, which Eastwood described as "one of the most dangerous places in Europe to be a woman." She also shared that this type of violence and abuse is so normalized that it is often brushed off as a "normal" occurrence.
In response to this alarming issue, on November 25, 2024 Metro launched a year-long campaign, called "This Is Not Right," to address the epidemic of violence against women. The aim of this campaign is to bring attention to the magnitude of this issue and empower readers to take action. With the help of their partners at Women's Aid, Metro hopes to shed light on this important issue and encourage readers to share their own stories by emailing them.
During the emotional debate, Eastwood was comforted by Conservative MP Dame Karen Bradley and Lib Dem Sarah Olney. Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who has been praised for her work in tackling violence against women, also showed support by embracing Eastwood. This discussion took place amidst a growing concern over the abuse faced by MPs, sparked by billionaire Elon Musk's vitriolic online attacks and his followers.
Another MP, Sarah Owen, highlighted the underlying misogyny that still exists in society when she addressed Musk's derogatory comment about fellow MP Jess Phillips, stating that it was like "digging deep into historical misogyny." She also pointed out that powerful women are often labeled as "witches" or something similar when they stand up to those in power.
In addition to discussing the issue of violence against women, Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty raised another important point. He spoke about James McMurdock, a Reform MP who was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend when he was a teenager. Obese-Jecty argued that having a criminal with a history of violence against women as a member of Parliament is unacceptable and should be addressed.
It is clear that urgent action needs to be taken to address the epidemic of violence against women and girls. The emotional debate in the House of Commons shed light on the severity of this issue and the urgent need for change. It is time for society to stand up against this violence and support those who have been affected by it.
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