Responding to yesterday’s Statement by the Minister for Social Justice on the Welsh Government’s new Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy, Shadow Social Justice Minister Mark Isherwood MS emphasised the need for the strategy to be financially sustainable and raised concerns over the lack of clarity about how true collaboration and accountability across sectors and society will work.
Mr Isherwood also questioned the Minister over Perpetrator Programmes, including pre-custodial programmes, and asked the Minister how she will “engage, for example, with North Wales Police’s domestic abuse perpetrator programme, ADAPT?”
Further, he spoke of Healthy Relationships education within the school curriculum and called for this to prioritise the interactive approach taken by Hafan Cymru's Spectrum Project “over a ‘Teacher Tells’ approach, which won’t reach those who need this most”.
Speaking in the Senedd, he said:
“After you published the Welsh Government’s Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategy for 2022-2026 on 24th May, Welsh Women’s Aid’s stated that they: “support the Government’s ambition but need to witness substance in the actions and accountability in the delivery of this strategy that match it, alongside a sustainably funded sector that that’s equipped to deliver it”.
“What update can you provide in response to their statement that ‘we now await clarity and detail in the Blueprint about how true collaboration and accountability across sectors and society will work’ - i.e. what specific actions will you take to establish and monitor this via the Blueprint Governance Structure?
“How do you respond to their statement that ‘this strategy must be the foundation on which a sustainable funding model is fully realised’, where the evidence they have received ‘spoke of the wide-reaching detriments of short term, insecure funding for staff and survivors alike’.
“How do you respond to their statement that they ‘are disappointed to see a lack of commitment and energy given to seeking a Welsh solution for migrant survivors who have no recourse to public funds’?
“How do you respond to their insistence that ‘the want outlined within the strategy to better understand the issues and barriers facing some minoritised groups … translates into meaningful action, funding, and person-centred, trauma-informed support within the delivery’? And although they ‘welcome Welsh Government’s commitment to centering survivor’s voices’ how do you respond to their statement that ‘to ensure that these voices are not siloed, or expertise undervalued, is vital”?
Mr Isherwood also called for specialist support for male victims of domestic abuse.
He said:
“In your Statement you ‘acknowledge that men can be victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence but’ add ‘even where this is true, the majority of perpetrators are male’. And of course, that’s true. But, ONS state that a third of victims of domestic abuse are men and boys. Will the Welsh Government therefore ensure that these victims and survivors can access tailored specialist support in a safe space in their own areas, and, if yes, how?”