ON behalf of the SDLP, East Derry Assembly Member John Dallat joined others in signing a pledge at Stormont to break the silence on sexual violence.
He said: “Sexual violence continues to be a blight on our society and this is borne out by the strain placed on organisations offering support to victims of abuse.
“Unfortunately the assembly is not meeting and isn’t in a position to act on the harrowing stories we heard today from people who could not have survived without the help provided by organisations such as Nexus NI, Women’s Aid, Victims Support and others.
“These and other, mainly voluntary, organisations are not receiving the level of support they urgently need from a functioning assembly which is pledged to honour the Good Friday Agreement promise of equality for everyone and not least those who suffered sexual violence for many years in the home, in the workplace and from institutions.
“In signing this pledge the SDLP urges the wider community to include these charities when making donations.
“It is also a pledge to redouble our efforts to ensure that the assembly is restored to address some of the most serious issues confronting people at this time and to ensure that these organisations have access to appropriate funding to carry out their critical work,” added Mr Dallat.
