What is the Minister doing to support those suffering from domestic abuse in Wales?
The Welsh Government has always been clear about its ambition to end violence against women and girls. This is a societal problem which requires a societal response. It is not for women to modify their behaviour; it is for abusers to change theirs.
That is why the Welsh Government Programme for Government committed to strengthening the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Strategy to include a focus on violence against women in the street and workplace as well as the home in order to make Wales the safest place in Europe to be a woman. The strategy was published in May 2022 and can be found here: Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence: strategy 2022 to 2026 [HTML] | GOV.WALES.
The strategy is being delivered through a Blueprint approach, which brings together devolved and non-devolved organisations, as well as strengthening the partnership between public private and specialist sectors. Our VAWDASV Blueprint High Level Action Plan was published on 31 March and a Progress Report has since been published in October 2023.
Hearing the views of survivors was extremely important during the strategy consultation and the survivor voice is continuing to feed into the National Partnership Board and its workstreams through a National Survivor Voice Scrutiny and Involvement Panel, which is chaired by on VAWDASV National Advisers.
The Welsh Government also funds VAWDASV regional teams and specialist services to provide invaluable and lifesaving support to all victims of VAWADSV. This funding ensures that no matter where a victim lives in Wales, there is a strong public and specialist service ready to help.