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03/03/2026
For 50 years, Foyle Women’s Aid has given sanctuary to women in Londonderry trying to escape domestic abuse. Jennifer O’Leary uncovers some of their stories.
Northern Ireland is long at peace, but violence directed towards women and girls has yet to come to an end. Figures show that on average one in four women living in Northern Ireland will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. In 1976, two women armed with a bucket and a ladder broke into a building in Londonderry and opened the city’s first refuge for women and children fleeing abuse. Five decades on, Foyle Women’s Aid remains an ongoing place of safety. Spotlight investigates a service shaped by the violence of others.
On TV
Next Tuesday22:40
BBC One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
