Whilst acknowledging the Court’s requirement to evaluate both mitigating & aggravating factors in sentencing it is important to recognise that those who view IIOC display stronger paedophilic interests than contact offenders. Suspended sentences do nothing to reduce proclivities

Delighted to be in SENDERO Sexual Assault Support Centre in Alberta 🇨🇦 today. An amazing space & resource, from the SART team, to therapy dogs, & medical suites, through to therapeutic & advocacy supports for individuals and families impacted by sexual abuse, all under 1 roof👏👏

All set up and ready for a day conference with ⁦Tusla - Child and Family Agency⁩ child protection social workers looking at risk posed by sexual, violent and domestic abusive persons and assessing protectiveness ⁦The Capacity & Ability to Supervise & Protect-Risk with⁩ ⁦Gareth McGibbon⁩ Kerry Malone

Spoke to The Nolan Show, BBC this morning on the PSNI failings in monitoring & managing sexual & violent offenders. Our public protection arrangements are no longer being adequately resourced or maintained leaving perpetrators unsupervised & victims at risk Marcella Leonard Orlaith McGibbon

Many congrats to social workers from ⁦South Eastern Trust⁩ who successfully completed training ⁦The Capacity & Ability to Supervise & Protect-Risk⁩ protectiveness model to inform their child protection decision making - great group with lots of informed discussions ⁦Orlaith McGibbon⁩ ⁦Gareth McGibbon⁩

The offence of coercive control risks becoming a symbolic law, powerful in theory but ineffectual in practice. Too many cases are taking too long to reach the PPS, only to result in no prosecution or perps using the vacuum to manipulate a retraction The GAA Marcella Leonard

Top GAA officer defies Jarlath Burns and refuses to resign over alleged treatment of ex-wife independent.ie/irish-news/top… Sports acting on reports of domestic abuse is essential safeguarding &they must take action-so members need to accept this action- that’s proactive safeguarding!

The GAA evidencing its commitment & integrity to the stated principles of ⁦⁦White Ribbon Ireland⁩ & #Gamechanger, whilst the revised policies give future options, important those facing allegations now comply with safeguarding. ⁦Women's Aid NI⁩ independent.ie/irish-news/top…

As NOTA NI Chair I am delighted that Belfast will host the 35th NOTA⁩ international conference on 15th-16th May. Check out below for all details on what promises to be an amazing two days of learning & networking. linkedin.com/posts/dulciefa…

And we are off for day 2 ⁦NOTA⁩ conference in Belfast opened by ⁦Gareth McGibbon⁩ introducing ⁦Stephanie O'Keefe⁩ from Cuan and Parveen Ali discussing domestic and sexual violence

As a proud graduate of Queen's University Belfast 🎓 , I fully support its principled stand against genocide. Arlene Foster DBE PC #ProudofNI. does not speak for me. Academic institutions must take a stand, cutting ties with Israel is a vital act of solidarity and a rejection of complicity in systemic oppression.

On @BBCRadioUlster I spoke about raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 in keeping with developmental science & international norms. Criminalising children damages long-term outcomes & drives reoffending. Justice should protect futures, & heal harm not punish childhood.

Justice isn’t served by punishing trauma-impacted, developmentally immature children. It means repair, safety & support for those harmed & the provision of responses that prevent more harm. Raising the MACR in NI is urgent & long overdue.

Violence against police is wrong but criminalising children won’t end an intergenerational culture of rioting. “Tough sentences” doesn’t work & never has. Raise the MACR to 14 & apply what works, support not stigma. Don’t condemn children to the futures of those who exploit them.

You are. You advocate prison & then disingenuously quote re-offending percentages that proves that prison doesn’t work🤷, whilst at the same time associating it with sexual offences when you should know that reconviction rates for those are 3-5%.

Delighted to be back in Melbourne. Over the next 2 weeks we will be rolling out the CASP-R framework beginning with the Gatehouse Centre in the Royal Children’s Hospital before moving to SECASA, the largest sexual assault & family violence service provider across SE Melbourne.

‘A prison sentence has an end point’ – Director Operations at Probation Board on reintegrating sex offenders back into society bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0… Gareth McGibbon | Alan Mains | Stephen Hamilton | Jim Allister | Cllr Brian Smyth

Delighted to be in #Belfast today for the NOTA listening to Gareth McGibbon welcoming delegates to a fantastic day of professional learning and networking #NotaNI25

Disappointing to see Justice NI still referring to ‘young offenders’. Labelling young people as the very thing we want them to move beyond has no place in desistance or strength-based practice. If we believe in rehabilitation, our language should reflect potential, not the past.

Following the report of a serious sexual assault within HMP Magilligan, I spoke to The Nolan Show, BBC this morning to discuss how prisons assess and manage risk, the systems designed to prevent such incidents, and the wider challenges in safeguarding people in custody.