Thirty-one women have been murdered in Northern Ireland since 2020, a figure cited by Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows MLA as he called for a major public awareness drive around Clare’s Law.

Burrows has written to the First Minister, deputy First Minister and the Justice Minister urging the Executive to fund and promote a campaign that highlights the scheme and signposts victim support services.

Clare’s Law — formally the Domestic Violence and Abuse Disclosure Scheme — gives individuals the right to ask the PSNI whether a current partner, or the partner of someone they care about, has a known abusive past. Burrows said the mechanism is potentially life-saving but too few people are aware it exists.

He pointed to the Department for Infrastructure’s anti-speeding and drink-driving advertisements as examples of effective public messaging, arguing that a comparable approach could help prevent domestic abuse.

The MLA said domestic abusers often move to new relationships and new victims, making wide awareness critical. He added that the campaign should carry contact details for organisations that support victims.