Minister for Local Government and Communities Carl Sargeant today (Monday 26 November) launched a White Paper for consultation on the Welsh Government’s legislative proposals aimed at ending violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence in Wales.
The intention is to put the following three specific themes on a legal footing:
o Stronger leadership across Public Sector Services in Wales that is independent, can monitor and challenge and provide a strategic overview
o Better education and awareness from ‘cradle to the grave’, which includes the public, frontline staff and professionals
o Strengthening and integrating services that are consistent, effective and of a quality standard
Paula Hardy, Chief Executive of Welsh Women’s Aid, said:
“Welsh Women’s Aid welcomes the consultation paper on the draft bill, and are encouraged to see many of the issues that we highlighted that needed to be addressed to ensure the proposed legislation achieved its aim of ending all forms of violence against women.
We are particularly encouraged to see the inclusion of an Independent Ministerial Advisor for Ending Violence Against Women to promote the agenda and hold local authorities to account; mandatory preventative education in schools across Wales to tackle the attitudes and myths about women which allow violence against them to continue unabated; a duty on public sector employers to have policies in place to assist female employees who are experiencing violence or abuse; improved services for victims, and compulsory training for professionals across sectors.
Violence against women is a huge problem in Wales, and domestic abuse is the most prevalent form of violence against women. In just one year, over 50,000 women in Wales experience a total of over 200,000 incidents of domestic abuse, and around 7 women die at the hands of their male partners or ex-partners. [3] We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Welsh Government to make sure that the new legislation makes a real difference to the lives of women and children across Wales.
We will be considering the proposals in more detail over the coming weeks with our membership and the women and children that use these valuable services.
Anyone affected by domestic abuse or sexual violence in Wales can contact the All Wales Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence Helpline for confidential, 24/7 support on 0808 80 10 800.”
