Violence is trapping women across Northern Ireland in cycles of trauma and homelessness, with some facing further abuse in temporary accommodation, despite moving there to find a place of safety.
The research from Heriot-Watt University and University of Edinburgh was commissioned by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and funded by the Oak Foundation . It is based on in-depth interviews with women with lived experience of violence over five areas of Northern Ireland.
The areas include Belfast and Derry, one smaller urban area in County Down, and two more rural areas of County Antrim and County Fermanagh. The report also covers findings from focus groups with frontline workers and senior key stakeholders.
Shockingly, the report found that victims often face abuse from multiple perpetrators, including intimate partners, extended family members, strangers, and in some cases, paramilitary violence. This combination of threats creates deep challenges for women seeking safety in Northern Ireland communities.
Women in rural areas face particular isolation, with limited access to support services and increased vulnerability to abuse. The research highlighted how perpetrators exploit this isolation, with one woman describing: "You get caught up because it happens incrementally. It gets a bit worse, just a little bit, and then just a bit more every time, it becomes your influence. You're constantly hearing them all the time, especially when they isolate you from your friends."
Despite seeking protection through Northern Ireland's criminal and civil justice systems, many women were failed by inconsistent police responses and faced significant challenges in securing and enforcing protection orders.
A participant explained: "Even though I have that protection order, he and two of his friends came round with hatchets. He actually came through my window, and I phoned the police and said, 'Look, I have a protection order right here,' and it took them over two hours to come."
The report also found stark evidence that many women are forced to leave their homes due to abuse, resulting in homelessness, even when they held legal tenancy or ownership rights. Post-separation harassment meant that many women had to flee again and again, leading to repeat episodes of homelessness.
Temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland, including B&Bs and hostels, were found to have regularly failed to provide adequate safety. Women reported feeling re-traumatised in these settings, particularly in mixed-gender facilities, finding themselves vulnerable to the same dangers they had tried to escape. Due to feeling unsafe, some women choose to sleep rough.
The research also revealed how substance use acts as a coping mechanism for the trauma of abuse, creating additional barriers for some women to accessing essential support.
Women who used substances were often excluded from mainstream temporary accommodation services and pushed toward acutely harmful forms of homelessness, including night shelters and rough sleeping, where they were often exposed to extreme violence and abuse.
Dr Lynne McMordie is from the Institute for Social Policy, Equalities and Housing Research (I-SPHERE) at Heriot-Watt University. She said:
"This research reveals profound failings in how we respond to women experiencing violence in Northern Ireland. The intersection of domestic abuse, paramilitary threats, and isolation – especially for women living in more rural areas - creates unique challenges that our current systems are failing to address adequately.
"For too long, the focus has been on expecting women to remove themselves from violent situations but this leads to huge financial challenges and loss of housing security. There is a stubborn presumption that women will need to flee their homes if they are escaping abuse. However, time and again, women's attempts to find a place of safety are undermined by systems that should protect them but instead leave them exposed to further harm.
Dawn Shackels, Director of Programmes at Community Foundation Northern Ireland, said:
"The findings of this important study shine a much-needed light on the ongoing failures within our systems to protect women who are survivors of violence and abuse. It is deeply concerning to see how women in Northern Ireland are caught in a relentless cycle of trauma, abuse, and homelessness - often while seeking refuge from violence.
"We echo the study's recommendations and call for urgent action from all levels of government to ensure that women's safety, dignity, and right to secure housing are prioritised. The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland stands ready to work with our partners to support these vital changes and to ensure that no woman ever has to choose between staying with an abuser or living on the streets."
The study makes several Northern Ireland-specific recommendations, including that the Department of Justice should strengthen protections for women facing violence by ensuring rapid police responses and accessible protection orders that allow women to remain safely in their homes.
The full recommendations and the report's findings are available on https://i-sphere.site.hw.ac.uk
