With plans in place for education and enforcement, but perhaps no money to implement them fully, where does that leave women in Northern Ireland?
Could it be that as people move on from the legacy of the violent past, women will continue to deal with violence in their present and future?
That question played on the minds of attendees at a conference on violence against women and girls in Coleraine.
Leigh O’Hara was there, Her organisation, White Ribbon NI, works to stop that violence.
“I think the statistics are scary, but it’s always been there. It’s always been in the background,” she said.
She said that stopping the violence means tackling the “thoughts and beliefs” that lead to harmful behaviour from men towards women. That means engaging with men – young and old – in every space. From schools to sports clubs to prisons.
“We can’t just keep putting out these fires, we need to get to the root causes and work from there.”
Or as Jessica, one of those teenagers at the SistersIN event, put it.
“It’s not up to the girls to know how to protect themselves. It’s up to the men to know not to do it.”
