Ms Helen Crickard:

I thank the Chair. Reclaim the Agenda was established in 2010 during a period of funding cuts across government departments and changes with the European Social Fund. We recognised in the women's movement that this would have a serious impact on our women's centres, which receive small pockets of funding across multiple departments. To ensure and maintain connectivity and not competition we reinstated the International Women's Day rally to bring all our women's centres together with the wider women's movement.

Reclaim the Agenda campaigns under six key themes: a life free from poverty, discrimination and domestic and sexual violence and abuse, to live in a world where women are equally represented as decision makers and have access to quality, affordable and flexible childcare.

The Good Friday Agreement provided assurances that the voices of women in civic society would be heard. As chair of the Women’s Coalition at the time, it was hard fought to have a civic forum included in the document. It was vital for the women we represented across Northern Ireland that it would act as a consultative mechanism on social, economic and cultural issues. The injustices that women faced during the conflict have not improved equally across society, as it is women from disadvantaged areas who continue to suffer under paramilitary control. While protocols are in place to ensure cross-party support on decisions on the allocation of resources, it has been a carve-up between the two main parties, resulting in the duplication of services and investment in areas that have dominant support from one party and reinforces sectarianism. The lack of strategies, such as violence against women and girls, anti-poverty and childcare have been unduly slow to set up and where they are signed off, the resources have been totally inadequate. The lack of attention to these policies has further disenfranchised the voice of women, whose participation in society relies on having adequate childcare and elder care. The resourcing of the women’s centres and community sector is insufficient, with a patchwork of funders and annual contracts. The sector is heavily scrutinised, meaning it is in constant firefighting mode.

The women’s centres are the front line in communities. They are often the first point of contact for women who seek help for their families, be it domestic abuse, mental health, drug addiction, suicide, poverty, bullying, coercive control or financial abuse from paramilitaries. They are excellent in providing support and signposting services, yet they are seriously underfunded and under pressure. Our population has a changed a lot since 1998 and the Racial Equality Strategy 2015-2025 has made little inroads is addressing racial inequality, while the women's centres accommodate the new emerging families with little or no additional financial resources.

The implementation of the Good Friday Agreement has focused on joining the green and orange, but our society has always been so much more than that. The dysfunctionality of Stormont is clear from the financial scandals that reveal a cavalier approach to the public purse. Constant squabbling over power with little accountability has led to an apathy towards Stormont and power-sharing. Tackling paramilitarism has further entrenched those in communities who have had or have weaponry. Rather than challenging them, they have been appeased. There are clear outstanding commitments from the Good Friday Agreement. The bill of rights is critical now since the UK pulled out of Europe against the majority of the will of the people in Northern Ireland, but also from subsequent agreements, particularly the social inclusion strategies on poverty, gender, disability and LGBT+ that are not implemented. The work of the women’s centres continues to hold the peace and build relations with new emerging communities without the financial support that should be in place.

The legacy Bill is of great concern for us as well. Of course, it could be overturned, but it is about the treatment and lack of respect we received.