With North Wales Police figures showing that one in four people who reported domestic abuse in North Wales last year were men, Mark Isherwood AM has called on the Welsh Government to work with charities in North Wales that are supporting male victims of violence and abuse.
Mr Isherwood made the plea in the Assembly Chamber on Tuesday when responding to the Statement by the Leader of the House and Chief Whip: ‘Update on Implementation of the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act’.
He said:
“You refer to the Live Fear Free website and helpline, and men being supported through the Dyn project and men's helpline. Of course, you wouldn't refer a woman victim or survivor to a charity run by men, and during the passage of the Act, another amendment I put down was calling for what Welsh Women's Aid had called for in the past, which was gender-specific strategies for men and women. Again, the Minister stated this wouldn't be in the Act, but the need would be addressed as we moved forward.
“So, given that North Wales Police has now announced that a quarter of their domestic abuse reports involve men, and the Crime Survey for England and Wales states that 42 per cent of the cases they now are picking up are affecting men, and that three quarters of suicides are men, how will you also work with some wonderful charities like KIM Inspire in Holywell, which you might have heard of and who would love you to visit, who started out supporting women needing mental health support in their community? They have now also established and recruited men to deliver the ‘KIM 4 HIM’ project, which is groundbreaking, established by a brilliant women's group but incorporating men to deliver it. And, of course, there is the work of DASU, the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit on Deeside, who were also innovative, many years ago, in broadening their services to incorporate men as well as women, who work together in mutual support.”
Mr Isherwood also questioned the Leader of the House over pre-custodial perpetrator programmes and how they will reflect the Respect accreditation standards, and challenged her over the seven year wait for the introduction of Relationships and Sexuality Education in schools.
Responding to Mr Isherwood’s point regarding the North Wales Police domestic abuse reports involving men, the Leader of the House stated: “Without taking anything away from the men who suffer from domestic violence - because all domestic violence is an abhorrent process in our society - it's the scale of the abuse. Two women a week are killed by their partners. That simply isn't the case for men reporting domestic abuse. That's without being disrespectful to those people who are, because that's not my intention. But, clearly, the scale of the problem is nothing like what the figures that the Member quoted would lead you to believe.”
Mr Isherwood added: “Of course women are far more likely than men to be killed by partners or ex-partners, but men can be victims too and the number of men killed as a result of domestic violence has been rising. Of course there are different contexts applying to domestic abuse against women and men. However, we should surely be working to support all victims of violence and domestic abuse, using strategies and proven interventions which deliver this.”
