Violence against women in NI, Singer Rita Wilson, Fashion getting skinnier?

This episode of Woman's Hour tackles multiple urgent and interconnected issues affecting women across the UK. The programme opens with a powerful focus on the alarming rise in violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland, where 30 women have been violently killed since 2020—mostly by intimate partners—and where the Secretary of State has called the situation 'shameful.' Journalists and advocates, including Alison Morris, Jennifer O'Leary, and Mary Brown, discuss systemic failures: underfunded services, delayed justice due to court backlogs, weak legislation, and a deeply entrenched patriarchal culture shaped by the region’s troubled past. Despite a national strategy to end violence, progress is stymied by lack of resources and political will. The conversation shifts to personal resilience and empowerment through Rita Wilson’s new album, 'Sound of a Woman,' a deeply introspective collection reflecting on motherhood, breast cancer, aging, and relationships. Wilson’s candid reflections on identity, voice, and healing resonate with listeners, including a man who said the music moved him to tears. The episode also highlights a growing crisis in NHS ultrasound services, with one in four sonographer posts vacant in England, putting pregnant women and cancer patients at risk due to staffing shortages and burnout. Finally, the fashion industry is scrutinized for a sharp decline in plus-size representation on runways and in stores, attributed to the rise of weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s, shifting consumer demand, and a backlash against body positivity. Experts warn of a return to extreme thinness ideals and the erasure of diverse body types, even as some women adapt by making their own clothes or turning to secondhand markets.