Foyle MLAs praise "milestone" legislation as Stalking Bill passed at Stormont

Foyle MLAs have welcomed the "vital legislation" passed at Stormont today as politicians have passed a new law to tackle stalking.

The Protection from Stalking Bill provides greater protections and stronger penalties for offenders than existing harassment laws.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK which does not have anti-stalking legislation.

The legislation, brought by Justice Minister, Naomi Long, passed its final stage in the assembly on Tuesday (February 22) and has been described as a “milestone”.

Under the new legislation, convictions for the most serious offences will carry a penalty of up to 10 years in prison or a fine, or both.

Sinn Féin Foyle MLA, Ciara Ferguson, said: “The introduction of new standalone stalking laws marks another milestone as we build a society that protects women and girls and tackles the behaviour of stalkers and abusers.

“For too long the North has been an outlier as the only jurisdiction on these islands without a stalking offence but that ends now.

“The passing of the Stalking Bill sends a very public message that stalking cannot, and will not be tolerated in our society.”

Foyle MLA, Sinead McLaughlin, also praised the legislation: “This is an extremely important piece of legislation and I was heartened to see it receive the backing of MLAs in the Assembly today," she said.

"Being stalked can destroy someone’s life, it can make every day a misery, force someone to be constantly on edge and have a significant impact on their physical and mental health.

"It’s long past time we had dedicated legislation to combat it in the North.

“Throughout this bill’s passage we heard numerous heartbreaking stories from people who had experienced stalking first-hand.

Women's Aid Foyle welcomes new Domestic Abuse legislation

Law now extends beyond violence against a spouse to include coercive control which involves both psychological and financial abuse

Status yellow snow and ice weather warning issued for Derry

"We also heard support groups outline how ex-partners and even paramilitaries used stalking as a way of exerting control over people.

"There is significant evidence of a link between stalking and people killed through domestic violence and this bill will allow for police intervention before harmful behaviour escalates in future.

“Following on from the coercive control legislation coming into effect this week this legislation should help protect people, and particularly women, from abuse.

"We saw domestic abuse incidents reach an all-time high in the North during the pandemic and this requires an Executive-wide response. Our society still has a long way to go to properly tackle this problem and we must continue to do everything we can to combat it.

"In the absence of a budget following the DUP's decision to collapse the Executive, we must ensure adequate resources are available so that this bill can make the difference that is sorely needed.”