WHILE we rightly grieve the appalling number of women murdered in Northern Ireland—over 30 since 2020—we are ignoring the "why?".
We provide vital funding to Women’s Aid to support victims, but where is the equivalent effort to stop the creation of perpetrators?
There is a growing, toxic shadow over our young men: Incel culture. Online spaces are radicalising boys into believing that women are "less than" or owe them something, fueling a sense of entitlement that, at its extreme, ends in femicide.
Where is the mandatory, deep-seated education in our schools and youth clubs that counters this? We need to go beyond "don't hit"; we need to dismantle the belief systems that make men feel it is acceptable to take a woman’s life.
If we don't start educating young men on healthy masculinity and the dangers of online misogyny, we are simply waiting for the next tragedy. We must stop asking women to stay safe and start teaching men how to be safe to be around.
Judith McNeill
Belfast
