Ending violence against women and girls in Belfast

Ending violence against women and girls in Belfast

Women and girls should feel, and be, safe everywhere – and we’re working to do what we can to make that happen.

Ending all forms of violence, abuse and harm against women and girls is one of the most pressing challenges facing us today. It is also a priority in the NI Executive’s Programme for Government.

In Belfast, we’re supporting the NI Executive to roll out their Ending Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (link opens in new window).

The strategy highlights how violence is never acceptable and that there is something everyone can do to help.

We want to show how Belfast is stepping up to this challenge and is working together to tackle an issue which impacts everyone in our city.

Our work includes:

• Free training for community and voluntary groups
• Area events
• It’s a team effort – conference for leaders in sport 
• Personal safety events
• Local Change Fund

Free training for community and voluntary groups

We are offering free training for Belfast-based community and voluntary organisations who want to better understand the issues around ending violence against women and girls and how they can support this work.

There are 180 places available until 31 March 2025.

Training will take place at various locations across the city, depending on demand. It is free to attend. Each training course runs for three sessions and includes: 

• guidance on understanding domestic abuse and coercive control and the impact on individuals
• examining root causes of violence against women and girls
• types and cycles of abuse and the impact on the individual
• how to help prevent domestic abuse
• appropriate responses
• assessing risks and safety planning
• practical interactive exercises, case studies and women’s experiences

By the end of the course, participants will have a satisfactory understanding of this complex issue and feel more confident in responding to it.

To register or get more information, email [email protected].

Free training courses

Course dates and venues are shown in the table.

Area events

Events have been taking place across Belfast in March 2025, reflecting specific priorities in each part of the city.

These events have been co-designed with local organisations and will include input from community groups, advice and women’s centres, working with our area teams and community centre staff.

It’s a team effort – conference for leaders in sport

Male and female leaders in sport are invited to this conference at Titanic Hotel on Sunday, 23 March from 12 noon to 5pm.

Attendees, including players, coaches and volunteers, will discuss how everyone can play their part to helping to end violence against women and girls and highlight strategies to engage men and boys in this work. 

Event speakers and workshop leaders

Speakers and workshop leaders at the event will include:

• Andrew ‘Bernie’ Bernard is an author. He lost his sister to a violent partner and now speaks to men and boys on how they can become allies to women and girls. Drawing on his developmental programme Where Are the Men?, he will encourage guests to challenge unhelpful and potentially harmful ideas of masculinity in both the changing room and the clubhouse.
• Laura Richard, criminal behavioural analyst, former police detective and now a successful podcast host, will explain how to assess risk in everyday settings and highlight signs of coercive control and domestic abuse.
• Chris McAlister, a former 400-metre hurdles athlete and now Head of Operations with Kyniskaa Advocacy, will provide advice for clubs on improving safeguarding and creating practical toolkits and policies to protect and support male and female members.
• Detective Chief Superintendent Lindsay Fisher from PSNI will speak about their Power to Change campaign, focusing on challenging male behaviours to women in everyday situations.
• Professor Louise Crowley from University College Cork will talk about All Right, All Night – a bystander intervention campaign which is training over 2,000 16 to 24-year-olds to stand up, speak out and stay safe when socialising.
• Tahnee McCorry, Chief Executive of White Ribbon NI, will share her experience of delivering the organisation’s Listen, Learn, Lead programme to prisons, sports teams, governing bodies and other male-dominated organisations.

To register your interest in attending and to receive further information, email [email protected].

Personal safety events

We provided free personal safety events in our community centres during January and February 2025. 

These empowering sessions provided practical self-defence skills and information to improve confidence and self-awareness. They were organised following feedback from our centre users. 

Try-it events with local martial arts clubs are also planned, so women can continue on with their practice after these first events.

We will add further dates and times for classes in spring 2025 to this page, once confirmed. 

Local Change Fund

This is a new grant scheme for community and voluntary groups to deliver projects, by 31 March 2026, to end violence against women and girls in Belfast.

Together, the projects will help to change the attitudes, behaviours and culture of violence against women and girls, promote healthy, respectful relationships and help women and girls to feel, and be, safe everywhere.

There were three tiers of funding available:

• Tier 1 – Maximum award £5,000 (groups must have a satisfactory understanding of the issue)
• Tier 2 – Minimum award £5,001. Maximum award £15,000 (groups must have a good understanding of the issue)
• Tier 3 – Minimum award £15,001. Maximum award £25,000 (groups must have a very good understanding of the issue and include mentoring or collaboration as part of their project)

Applications for grants closed on Monday 17 February (Tier 2 and Tier 3) and Friday 28 February (Tier 1).

We will add the successful applicants here once funding has been allocated.

Regional Change Fund

Eight organisations will also share £1.2 million of funding from the Executive Office to deliver society-wide change when it comes to tackling violence against women and girls. We are supporting the administration of this fund.

The organisations are (all links open in a new window): 

• Nexus
• Women’s Aid Federation NI (WAFNI)
• Women’s Resource and Development Agency (WRDA)
• Relate NI
• White Ribbon NI
• Youth Action
• NSPCC
• Barnardo’s NI

Help and support

There are agencies and confidential services that can support you if you’re experiencing violence or feel unsafe. Contact details are available from nidirect (link opens in new window)

The PSNI, Department of Justice and NI Executive have launched the Power to Change campaign, which is urging men and boys to help play their part in affecting cultural and societal change.

To read more about this campaign, go to Power to Change (link opens in new window)