I have lived experience of domestic abuse and engagement with the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland. Through this experience, it became clear that current legislation does not adequately protect victims or reflect the realities of domestic abuse.

The court process itself can be retraumatising for victims, and the limitations within the law deter many survivors from coming forward to report abuse. This creates a system where only part of the harm experienced is ever addressed, leaving many victims without justice or recognition of the full extent of the abuse they endured.

In Northern Ireland, the law currently enforces a six-month time limit for prosecuting common assault in domestic abuse cases. This restriction is unrealistic and unjust. Domestic abuse victims often delay reporting due to fear, coercive control, emotional trauma, or ongoing risk. As a result, significant abuse is frequently excluded from prosecution solely because of an arbitrary time limit.

According to research by Women’s Aid, delayed reporting is common among domestic abuse survivors, making the six-month limitation wholly inadequate and out of step with the lived realities of abuse.

Removing this time limit would be a vital step towards justice for survivors, including those affected by historic abuse. It would allow victims to report when they are safe and ready, without being denied justice due to circumstances created by the abuse itself. It would also strengthen accountability and public confidence in the justice system.

Domestic abuse is complex, ongoing, and deeply harmful. Other jurisdictions have already recognised this by extending or abolishing time limits in abuse-related cases. Northern Ireland must do the same to ensure its laws protect survivors rather than silence them.

I call on the Northern Ireland Assembly to amend the legislation to remove or extend the six-month statutory time limit for prosecuting common assault where it occurs in the context of domestic abuse.

Please support this petition to help create a legal system that reflects the reality of domestic abuse and ensures survivors are no longer denied justice because of outdated time restrictions.