There has been a call for abusers who breach non-molestation orders to serve a compulsory seven day prison sentence in order to protect victims of domestic violence.
A petition has been launched by Joanne Taylor, a member of Through Her Eyes, which is calling for statutory prison time for anyone who breaches a molestation order. She has said that currently the orders "aren't worth the paper they are written on" as those who breaches the orders face little to no repercussions for their actions.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Joanne said she started the petition following a discussion with other members of Through Her Eyes where they were looking at ways they can protect women and survivors of domestic violence in Northern Ireland.
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The group formed in January of this year and met for the first time at the Global March for Women and have continued to meet in order to continue their campaign to improve the safety of women.
Joanne said: "As a survivor of domestic abuse I have had my own experiences with non-molestation orders and how useless they can be for the person they are intended to protect. At the most, offenders receive a slap on the wrists and a couple of hours in a police station rather than any real repercussions and they often aren't worth the paper they are written on.
"While my issues happened 20 years ago, I am well aware that this remains an ongoing problem that can have very dangerous and violent consequences. By having a statutory prison sentence of seven days for people who breach these orders, it would give their victims vital time to put protections in place such as moving address, changing phone number or contacting support services.
"In many cases the presence of a non-molestation order does nothing to deter abusers, who view their victims as their property that they can do whatever they want with, so something needs to be put in place that is an effective deterrent that can protect women and survivors.
"Through Her Eyes will be pushing this campaign and hopefully we can help transform the system and ensure lasting safety for victims of domestic violence and abuse."
On Saturday March 15, Through Her Eyes will be holding a candlelight walk from City Hall to Botanic Gardens to raise awareness about femicide in Northern Ireland and the 25 women killed her since 2020.
If you would like to sign the petition by Joanne and Through Her Eyes, please follow this link.
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