Green Party Councillor Lauren Kendall, Holywood and Clandeboye, has condemned the Minister for the Economy and the Executive for failing to implement Safe Leave.

“Despite repeated promises and overwhelming evidence of need, Safe Leave legislation that would provide paid leave for victims of domestic abuse remains unenacted,” she said.

She added: “How can it take years to deliver just 10 days safe leave? Every delay is a betrayal of victims and survivors. Every single day this is stalled, people are left without the vital support they were promised.”

The Executive’s own Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy 2024–2031 pledges to do all that we can to protect victims and ensure timely, responsive support.

Kendall said this failure blows a hole in that promise. “If this is the Executive ‘doing all they can’, it is very worrying. Every pillar in that Strategy is undermined. They are failing victims, survivors and families. Safe Leave is not a luxury. It is a vital lifeline.”

She highlighted the ongoing work of charities, support organisations and trade unions. “While the Executive fails to lead, charities and unions have stepped up. Like my Green Party colleague Rachel Woods who delivered the Bill, they stand with victims and survivors, working and campaigning tirelessly to ensure Safe Leave becomes a reality. Their advocacy is the commitment the Executive claims to champion but is failing to deliver.”

Her criticism comes during the Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and as Women’s Aid Federation NI publishes stark 2024/25 figures:
- 523 women and 364 children stayed in emergency refuge accommodation;
- 5,810 women were supported in the community;
- 304 pregnant women sought help, a 14% rise; and
- 8,393 referrals were made to Women’s Aid services.

Kendall said: “The devastating reality is that home is not a safe place for many, yet the Executive cannot implement vital protections. This is another example in a long list of failures to deliver essential legislation that could protect people and save lives.”

She concluded: “The Executive’s consistent inaction is inexcusable. They have had years to implement Safe Leave and still victims and survivors wait. It is negligence. If they truly believe in protecting victims, they must stop hiding behind excuses and deliver this now. Anything less is a failure of duty to those most at risk.”

Ards and North Down Borough Council is the first in Northern Ireland to support Ruby’s Law, a vital legal reform to protect companion animals in homes affected by domestic abuse.

The motion, proposed by Green Party Councillor Lauren Kendall and seconded by Independent Unionist Councillor Steven Irvine, calls for urgent changes recognising how abusers use pets for coercive control and violence.

Cllr Kendall said, “Ruby’s Law is about protection - protection for victims and for their animals. Abusers use pets as weapons to control and terrorise. This law would include animals in protective orders and recognise harm to pets as psychological abuse.”

PSNI recorded 30,000 domestic abuse incidents this year, making up 20% of reported crime. “Too many survivors are forced to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pets. Ruby’s Law would ensure no one has to make that heartbreaking choice.”

Ruby’s Law, founded by family law barrister Christina Warner and supported locally by Causeway Coast Dog Rescue and Women’s Aid, would allow protective orders to include pets - already being considered elsewhere in the UK.

Christina Warner, Barrister at Bedford Row Chambers, London, stated:
“As founder of Ruby’s Law, I commend Cllr Kendall and council for advancing this important motion. As a barrister specialising in family and criminal law, I have witnessed the devastating impact of coercive control where animals are used to intimidate, punish, or manipulate victims. Ruby’s Law represents a necessary evolution in our legal and moral duty, to recognise the interconnectedness of human and animal welfare and to protect victims from all forms of abuse, direct or indirect. This is how meaningful change begins, through courage, compassion, and collaboration.”
www.rubyslaw.co.uk

Emalyn Turkington, Chief Executive Officer, North Down & Ards Women's Aid:
"I would welcome Ruby's Law in Northern Ireland as it would be a vital step in removing a significant barrier to safety for women living with domestic abuse.  The inability of most refuges to accept pets currently acts as a significant, often insurmountable, barrier preventing women from escaping abusive homes. This forces survivors of domestic abuse to choose between staying in danger and abandoning a beloved animal. This loophole is well-known and exploited by abusers as a coercive tool, effectively trapping victims and enabling the perpetuation of abuse."

Tara Cunningham, Manager of Causeway Coast Dog Rescue, warmly welcomed the council’s support:
“This represents a vital step towards recognising that protecting pets means protecting people. Through Ruby’s Law, Causeway Coast Dog Rescue is working to make that change, ensuring that every victim and every companion animal is safeguarded under the law. We stand ready to collaborate with government, councils, and community partners to share resources, research, and expertise to make this legislation a reality.

This motion sends a clear message that Northern Ireland will not tolerate the use of animals as weapons in abusive relationships and calls on all other councils to publicly announce their support so we can appeal to the Minister for Justice and other responsible departments to make that change.” www.causewaycoastdogrescue.org

Cllr Irvine added, “Abusers use every tool at their disposal, including harming animals. Supporting Ruby’s Law says Northern Ireland will not tolerate cruelty - whether to people or pets.”

Cllr Kendall concluded, “This Council sends a message: protecting pets means protecting people. We urge other councils and Ministers to act now.”

The recent Ards & North Down Borough Council decision, backed by the DUP and Ulster Unionists, to approve the Climate Action Plan but simultaneously call for a review of legally binding climate targets, reveals a dangerous contradiction rooted in fear and political expediency.

On one hand, they acknowledge the necessity of a Climate Action Plan - recognising climate change as a reality that demands action. On the other hand, by demanding a review of the targets and suggesting councils are “being set up to fail,” they sow doubt and delay at a critical moment when urgent delivery of strong, science-based targets is paramount.

“This motion is a gift to vested interests who want to water down climate action and block real progress,” said Cllr Barry McKee. “Families are already facing flood risk, energy insecurity and rising bills - that’s the cost of climate breakdown, not climate ambition.”

Cllr Lauren Kendall added: “Let’s be honest - poverty and hardship aren’t caused by climate targets. The real threat comes from politicians who keep blaming climate action, instead of taking responsibility and defending communities. Only strong legal targets will deliver safe homes, green jobs and a fair transition and fair economy.”

Northern Ireland’s communities, farmers and workers urgently need leadership that stands firm behind legally binding targets, not one that seeks ways to escape them.

Climate action is not the cause of hardship - climate denial and inaction are.