Why is Northern Ireland the most dangerous place to be a woman in Europe? Confronting Violence Against Women in a Post-Colonial Setting

The United Nations defines Violence Against Women and Girls as: “any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”(United Nations, 1996)

Since 2020, 28 women in Northern Ireland have been violently murdered, many in their homes and many at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them. All 28 of these women have been murdered by partners, former partners or family members. In all but one case, a man has been charged in connection with these violent deaths. This recent horrific trend makes the Northern Ireland one of the deadliest places to be a woman in Europe (Eurostat 2025). These worrying figures portray the underlying misogyny and violence that still exists in the region that has been exposed to unimaginable conflict for hundreds of years.

In January 2025, Ulster University launched a report entitled ‘Every Voice Matters! Violence Against Women in Northern Ireland’ where eye-watering levels of violence were uncovered. 

New research stemming from this report suggests that 98% of women in Northern Ireland have experienced at least one form of violence or abuse in their lifetime. The report further records half (50%) of the 540 women surveyed as experiencing this abuse before the age of 11. Perhaps the most shocking revelation was that the report found that 7 out of 10 of those surveyed had experienced some form of violence or abuse in the last 12 months. These violent encounters are not just coincidental, once-off events but purposeful and prolonged episodes of repeated violence, typically at the hands of men. 

This report by Ulster University comes at the direction of the Stormont Executive and their attempt to tackle this massive issue head on. The Northern Ireland Executive has sought to address this issue by launching their strategic framework, ‘Ending Violence Against Women and Girls’ 2024-2031 (EVAWG). The strategic framework report mostly hinges on confronting the root cause of violence against women which comes in the form of misogyny, often learned by men at an early age. As noted in the EVAWG report, almost one in five young males aged 16, believe posting jokes or nasty comments of a sexual nature on social media, cat calling, wolf whistling and shouting at someone in the street are acceptable behaviours. It is this type of misogynistic behaviour which must first be addressed to move forward in addressing the much more serious consequences of violence against women. 

As the EVAWG report states that “The main focus of the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls will be to address the culture of damaging attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that can lead to violence against women and girls”. I think that this quote adequately outlines the first goal that needs to be met in addressing the broader societal issues that repeatedly leads to the tragic loss of life for women in Northern Ireland.

These reports served as a stark read with some shocking statistics, particularly the underreporting of criminal acts and the continued mistrust in the Police Service of Northern Ireland. However, it comes as no surprise given the history and links to violence in this post-colonial region. 

Speaking at a march on International Women’s Day in 2023, Derry City and Strabane District Councilor Maeve O’Neill stated in relation to the treatment of women in Northern Ireland that “We have a politic that is extremely male-dominated and in many ways anti-women, with no childcare strategy, low wages for women, and poor access to reproductive rights which continues to be undermined by [the] Government.” This insight gives light to the plethora of cultural shortcomings that exist in NI, whilst the executive has invested in the peace-process and combatting sectarianism, women have been left behind in the future of Northern Ireland. At present, attention must turn to include women in the narrative of a peaceful Northern Ireland if we are to fully live up to the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement.

Much research points to the root cause of this grim violence against women as being a result of the prolonged violence in the region during the period of ‘The Troubles’. Many professionals indicate that this form of violence presents a typology known as ‘conflict-related violence against women’ (CRVAW) in Northern Ireland. One study in particular has mapped gendered harms “directly and indirectly resulting from the conflict enacted by state and non-state actors”(Aisling Swaine, 2022). It is undeniable that ‘The Troubles’ have left a legacy of violence largely perpetrated by men. It has been identified that the normalisation of militarisation, community control, and patriarchal authority during the Troubles normalised male violence and reinforced rigid gender hierarchies(Aisling Swaine, 2022). Furthermore, women’s suffering was often dismissed as private or non-political, so it was excluded from narratives and transitional justice mechanisms of the peace process (Aisling Swaine 2022). In NI, women’s suffering is not nearly seen as equal to that of the pain which still lingers from paramilitary violence largely suffered by men in NI.

Speaking at a forum at Georgetown University, the co-founder of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, Monica McWilliams posed the poignant question regarding the inflated levels of gender-based violence following the Good Friday Agreement as being “Post-conflict for whom?” It is widely acknowledged that conflict most negatively affects the most vulnerable groups in society. The outcome is particularly felt by citizens who already have limited access to state institutions and benefits and it is accepted that women and girls may fall into this category.

Going forward, when addressing the violence against women in NI we must endeavour to consider a broader range of factors that allows this vile level of violence to continue in the region. Many of these factors have been addressed in the aforementioned reports and strategic frameworks. Ultimately, compliance and enforcement will be the most important factor if we are serious about protecting the lives of women in NI and ensuring a peaceful future as imagined by the Good Friday Agreement.