Scope Articles

Can ancestral trauma haunt the living?

20 Dec 2018

Northern Ireland has high levels of mental ill health, self-harm and suicide. Attributing this to “inter-generational trauma” has become a mantra amongst commentators.

More Traveller voices should be heard in education

Annie Doherty helping out with Toybox while studying for her GCSEs

20 Dec 2018

Traveller examination results are not where they should be. This is not an insoluble problem, good work is being done, but we would do well to listen more to the views of the Traveller community.

Human Rights in NI – sleepwalking towards disaster

Lord Duncan of Springbank, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and Commissioner Les Allamby at the launch of the statement this week

14 Dec 2018

The Human Rights Commission published its Annual Statement this week. We have plenty of problems, too few solutions, and the problems stemming from our lack of a government only ever grow in number.

Charities and gagging clauses

13 Dec 2018

Beleaguered Prime Minister Theresa has taken time off from her Brexit travails to intervene in the growing controversy over charities being forced to sign gagging clauses in public contracts.

Report released into alleged housing charity impropriety

7 Dec 2018

The Charity Commission says Victoria Housing Estates Ltd, under the stewardship of Co Down solicitor Derek Tughan, lost £12m in questionable loans and suffered a £21m underspend on its properties.

Climate Change: Northern Ireland and the rising sea

7 Dec 2018

This week saw the start of a series of meetings which will have even more profound consequences for all of us than Brexit.

Time to celebrate bad behaviour

30 Nov 2018

What if we stopped rewarding people in civil society for following the rules and celebrated those who break them instead?

Christmas is the busiest time of year for foodbanks

30 Nov 2018

Another Christmas, another busy month for foodbanks. For most people, they are an abstract concept – that’s because most people never have to use them.

The future face of democracy? NI's Citizen's Assembly

23 Nov 2018

Earlier this week an important experiment in the exercise of democracy took place in Northern Ireland.

The justice system needs to change – like it has many times before

23 Nov 2018

Key principles of our justice system could be bent or broken in cases of sexual violence. Perhaps they need to be – and, really, that’s nothing new.

Charities: running out of cash

16 Nov 2018

Loose change is the lifeblood of charitable giving. So how will charities adapt to a cashless society?

Justice is rare for victims of rape

15 Nov 2018

The criminal justice system is failing rape victims in Northern Ireland. The third sector provides good support for anyone affected – but structural reform is necessary. Scope speaks with Victim Support NI.

Northern Ireland government: time to fix the system

9 Nov 2018

The crisis in Northern Ireland has spread from frustration at the political impasse to disillusionment and anger at the entire system of government.

Public transport is about access – we need to measure it that way