Motion

Domestic Abuse, Rape and Sexual Crime

Motion TitleDomestic Abuse, Rape and Sexual Crime

Motion TextThat this Assembly expresses deep concern at the levels of domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime; encourages victims of these crimes to come forward; welcomes the increased reporting of domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime but recognises that a high level of underreporting still exists; further welcomes the commitment from the Minister of Health and the Minister of Justice to prioritise addressing this type of crime; and calls on the Executive to work together to support victims and survivors and address domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime.

Motion CategoryPrivate Members' Motion

Date Tabled to Business Office05/09/2016

Date Selected By Committee04/10/2016

Date of Plenary Debate17/10/2016

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Tabled By

Member Name	Tabled As
Ms Michaela Boyle	MLA - West Tyrone
Mr Declan Kearney	MLA - South Antrim
Mr Pat Sheehan	MLA - West Belfast
Ms Jennifer McCann	MLA - West Belfast

Bills

Outcome/Voting

The Motion, As Amended, Was Carried by Oral Vote

Amendments

Selected Amendments

Number	Tabled Date	Amendment Text
1	13/10/2016	Leave out all after ‘exists;’ and insert: ‘notes that an analysis of final prosecutorial decisions between 2010 and 2014 shows that in 83 per cent of rape cases no prosecution was recommended; and calls on the Executive to work together to address domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime and to support victims and survivors of such crimes; and further calls on the Public Prosecution Service to work to improve rape prosecution and conviction rates.’
2	13/10/2016	Leave out all after ‘type of crime;’ and insert: ‘notes that the criminal justice system currently treats each reported occurrence of domestic violence as an individual, isolated act and not as a pattern of behaviour or an extended course of conduct; calls on the Executive to work together to support victims and survivors and address domestic abuse, rape and sexual crime; further calls for the immediate extension of the Justice Support Worker scheme to all policing districts so patterns can be identified from victims making multiple reports; and calls on the Minister of Justice to introduce urgently legislation to criminalise such patterns of abuse and coercive control which victims are subjected to by their abusers.’

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Domestic Abuse, Rape and Sexual Crime

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