Violence against Women

WOMEN who have suffered domestic abuse in Carmarthenshire have been given a chance to have their say on Welsh Government plans to tackle the situation.

Hafan Cymru and Carmarthenshire Domestic Abuse Forum, with support from the Community Safety Partnership arranged the ‘Have Your Say’ event about the Violence against Women Bill, was run in Carmarthen.

It was attended by service users and staff from Hafan Cymru, Carmarthen and Amman Valley Women’s Aid and Carmarthenshire Domestic Abuse Forum.

The new Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys Christopher Salmon attended the event to speak to service users and listen to their views.

He said that the role of the new PCCs was to provide a co-ordinating force in the criminal justice system and to give communities a voice in policing. There were huge issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse and issues of under reporting and difficulty in reporting the crimes.

“One horrific statistic I heard is that a woman is hit an average of 35 times before anything is reported.

“Bringing people to justice and protecting the vulnerable are priorities. How we make people safer and stamp out this scourge of domestic abuse,” he said.

Sam Jones Domestic Abuse Coordinator for Carmarthenshire said: “It was important to run a multi-agency consultation event. People who used the services across our area must have an active input into the Welsh Government’s White Paper.

Hafan Cymru Chief Executive Cathy Davies said: “This is Wales’s chance to lead the world. I am very excited about the opportunity that this White Paper gives us particularly for improving services on the ground for women and children experiencing violence in the home or sexual abuse to get the opportunity for the services they need to escape that.”

Carmarthenshire County Council Community Safety Manager Kate Thomas said: “The Community Safety Partnership welcomes the Welsh Government’s decision to legislate to make a real difference to the lives of women and their children.

The council’s executive board member for Community Safety Cllr Pam Palmer said: “This was an excellent opportunity for women who are affected by this crime to give their views on the draft legislation, and shows good engagement with the number of local services that are provided to help these women who suffer from domestic abuse.”

As well as the opportunity to discuss the issues, the women had the opportunity of activities such as pamper health sessions, Indian Head massage, reflexology and eye brows or hand massages, and craft tables with keyring fob making and suncatchers.

The Welsh Government has published “The Right to be Safe” a six-year integrated strategy for tackling all forms of violence against women.