THE Executive `must provide details' of the amount of additional funding from Westminster they are giving to domestic and sexual abuse support groups.
UK Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick committed an additional £76 million package for domestic violence victims, acknowledging coronavirus lockdown is making it harder for people to seek help.
Taryn Trainor, Unite Regional Women's and Equalities Officer, said ministers are "collectively responsible" for supporting those at risk and ensuring support services get the money they need to help.
Despite this the departments of justice, health and communities insisted it was"not for their departments to respond". The Department of Finance did not respond to a request for a comment.
"The lockdown to counter the spread of Covid-19 has led to a surge in the numbers of reported incidents of domestic and sexual abuse. Indeed, our members who staff the domestic and sexual violence helpline in Northern Ireland have been overwhelmed by the volume of calls they receive," Ms Trainor said.
"Organisations like Nexus, Women's Aid, Victim Support and the Men's Advisory Project are at the front-line of dealing with the surge of such incidents but they are doing so against the backdrop of chronic long-term under-funding by the Northern Ireland Executive.
"The announcement by the UK Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick that an additional £76 million was to be provided to support victims of domestic and sexual abuse, vulnerable children, victims of modern slavery and to fund the refuges is welcome. We now need to see how this translates on the ground in Northern Ireland.
"The Northern Ireland Executive ministers are collectively responsible for funding these support services and must now put a figure to the funding that they will provide locally as a result of this additional support."
