26/11/2025
Alliance MLA Backs 16 Days Against Violence Campaign
Alliance North Down MLA Connie Egan has marked the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign (25th November – 10th December) by emphasising the critical need for protection against online abuse, particularly the rise of deepfake videos targeting women.
This year's theme, 'No Excuse for Online Abuse', is considered particularly important as Artificial Intelligence (AI) develops rapidly.
Ms Egan cited data from UN Women, which states that between 90–95 per cent of deepfake videos online are sexual images of women. She stressed that adequate protections must be ensured for women and girls from online harm.
The MLA highlighted the stark statistics on domestic abuse in Northern Ireland, noting that the PSNI reported 29,740 domestic abuse incidents between 1st July 2024 and 30th June 2025.
Ms Egan pointed to the legislative work being carried out by Alliance Justice Minister Naomi Long to tackle the issue, including the delivery of a range of legislative and strategic reforms designed to combat domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Further legislation is also being brought forward specifically to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images depicting adults.
"Gender based violence has no place in our society and we must take a whole society approach to ending it," Ms Egan concluded, committing to continue working to ensure victims are properly supported while perpetrators are held to account.
This year's theme, 'No Excuse for Online Abuse', is considered particularly important as Artificial Intelligence (AI) develops rapidly.
Ms Egan cited data from UN Women, which states that between 90–95 per cent of deepfake videos online are sexual images of women. She stressed that adequate protections must be ensured for women and girls from online harm.
Ms Egan pointed to the legislative work being carried out by Alliance Justice Minister Naomi Long to tackle the issue, including the delivery of a range of legislative and strategic reforms designed to combat domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Further legislation is also being brought forward specifically to criminalise the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfake images depicting adults.
"Gender based violence has no place in our society and we must take a whole society approach to ending it," Ms Egan concluded, committing to continue working to ensure victims are properly supported while perpetrators are held to account.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.