Direct engagement with the Justice Minister.
Following correspondence with Naomi Long, several key points have been clearly acknowledged:
👉 There is currently no single mechanism in Northern Ireland to identify or record suicides where domestic abuse may be a contributing factor.
👉 There is no specific offence of domestic abuse-related suicide, and existing laws rely on high evidential thresholds to prove causation
👉 While current legislation may apply in some cases, these situations are complex and difficult to evidence, meaning many cases may never be fully recognised within the system
👉 The Minister has also confirmed that expanding Domestic Homicide Reviews to include suicides is being considered, but this is not currently in place
⚖️ WHAT THE MINISTER HAS RECOGNISED
Importantly, Naomi Long has:
✔️ Acknowledged the need for recognition, understanding, and learning
✔️ Recognised the impact of domestic abuse, including coercive control
✔️ Confirmed the issue is being considered at policy level
✔️ Shown willingness to monitor developments and explore change
⚠️ BUT THE GAP REMAINS
Despite this engagement:
❌ There is still no system in place today
❌ These deaths are still not formally recognised or recorded
❌ The true scale of the issue remains unknown
❌ Families may still be left without answers or accountability
💜 WHY THIS CAMPAIGN MATTERS
This campaign is not about criticism it is about building on what has already been acknowledged because even at Ministerial level, it has been confirmed:
👉 The system does not currently recognise or record these deaths and that is the gap that must now be addressed.
This is not about creating something new.
This is about:
👉 Recognising something that is already happening
👉 Recording it properly
👉 Learning from it
👉 Preventing future deaths
The Justice Minister has acknowledged the issue now we need to move from recognition of the gap to action to close it!
Sign the petition! Share the petition as many times as you can, follow all platforms link now attached to the campaign https://linktr.ee/DomesticAbuseSuicideLaw