30 June 2025

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter has described the killing of a woman in Donaghadee as a devastating tragedy and a stark reminder of the urgency with which violence against women and girls must be addressed across Northern Ireland.

Ms Hunter said:

“A woman has lost her life in an act of violence, and children have lost their mother, with their world changed forever.

“There is no grief more profound than that of a child robbed of the love, safety, and care of their mother. It is essential that support is put in place to help this family manage the devastating outworkings of this tragedy as they come to terms with this horror.

Ms. Hunter also called the case part of a “wider epidemic of violence” that demands immediate political will and a coordinated government response.

“This is not an isolated incident. We are failing women. We are failing children. And we are failing to treat this crisis with the seriousness it demands.

“Too many women in Northern Ireland live in fear; in their homes, on their streets, and in their relationships. That fear is not just real; the statistics show that it is justified. But it should never be acceptable.

“The SDLP welcomed the recent publication of the strategy to tackle violence and girls but we remain concerned that the funding required will not be forthcoming.

“Key to eradicating this is addressing the underlying issues that enable and facilitate violence against women and girls, and so it is also essential that the Executive work with the UK Government to address online radicalisation.

“This woman’s life mattered. Her children’s future matters. And unless we do everything in our power to stop the epidemic against women and girls there will be more children left without mothers, and more families destroyed.”