North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has challenged the Finance Minister this week over funding for specialist support services for both male and female victims of domestic abuse.
Speaking in the Assembly Chamber today, Mr Isherwood asked the Minister what consideration she gave to helping victims of domestic abuse when drafting the final budget in 2019-20.
He said: “As Welsh Women's Aid said last month, access to specialist support, where and when survivors of abuse need it, is critical to enable women and girls to achieve safety and reach their full potential, but although there is a Welsh Government commitment to deliver secure and sustainable funding for specialist services, and we have commissioning guidance, secure funding for specialist services has yet to be delivered in many areas of Wales.
“Figures published last November from the Office for National Statistics quoted the Crime Survey for England and Wales, showing an estimated 2 million victims (of domestic abuse) in England and Wales last year: 65 per cent women, 35 per cent men, where men are three times as likely as women to not report abuse because of feelings of shame, embarrassment, denial and stereotypes of masculinity, and men in Wales are four times more likely to die by suicide than women.
“How therefore will you respond, or are you considering to respond, to the reports by BBC Wales in March that the Welsh charity Calan has seen a significant increase in male victims coming forward, replicating the findings of the work of the wonderful charities, KIM Inspire in Holywell, the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit in Deeside, and others, so that the concerns of Welsh Women's Aid for women and girl victims and survivors, but also the growing concerns being expressed regarding male victims, can be addressed through the appropriate support services in the future?”
In her reply, the Minister said the Welsh Government “is committed to tackling all forms of gender-based violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence, and supporting all victims of domestic abuse”.
She added: “We do recognise that whilst it is a disproportionate experience for women and girls, it doesn't mean that violence and abuse directed to men and boys isn't perpetrated, because anybody can be affected by these issues.
“Welsh Government funds projects in Wales providing support services for male victims, including the Live Fear Free helpline and project Dyn. The helpline is gender responsive and includes targeted information specifically for male victims, and the Dyn project provides accessible support to all men who experience domestic abuse in Wales, regardless of age, gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. And we also have statutory guidance, which sets out core commissioning principles on which regional commissioning strategies should be based - and again, that's about ensuring that all victims, regardless of their gender or their background, are able to access support.”
Mr. Isherwood added “although the ‘Dyn project’ in Cardiff and its Helpline can provide support and information for men who experience domestic abuse across Wales, victims and survivors need access to tailored specialist support in a safe space in their own areas”.
