Last International Women’s Day (March 8th) Welsh Women’s Aid led over 150 women activists, campaigners, advocates and survivors to stand in solidarity with survivors across Wales to say that Time’s Up for perpetrators of all forms of violence, abuse, and harassment of women, and the attitudes and culture which allow it to flourish.
Together we demanded[1]:
- Time’s up on perpetrators’ behaviour going unacknowledged, unchallenged and unpunished.
- Time’s up on women and girls living with the everyday experience of harassment, intimidation, violence and abuse.
- Time’s up on an era when survivors of sexual harassment are not believed and blamed for the abuse.
This year, to coincide with International Women’s Day and to build on Time’s Up activities in Wales throughout 2018-19, we would like to invite you to sign our pledge to support a 5-point action plan for achieving Time’s Up on sexual harassment and abuse in Wales. Please show your support of all survivors of abuse and of the need to hold perpetrators to account.
Today, we stand united on calling Time’s Up on sexual harassment in Wales, which is not inevitable and can be prevented by standing up to it together. We call for a world where communities challenge harassment, violence and abuse of women and girls, where there is zero-tolerance of sexual harassment in our educational institutions, our workplaces and in our UK Parliament and National Assembly for Wales. The lack of action to eradicate sexual harassment and abuse in Wales to date has a negative impact on survivors, and on all women and girls, and impacts the overall confidence in systems to address sexual harassment and abuse.
We pledge to call on employers, institutions and individuals in Wales to take 5 steps to end sexual harassment and abuse:
- Don’t be a bystander. Help create communities and workplaces where sexual harassment and abuse is not tolerated, and where it happens, it is acted on and perpetrators are challenged and held accountable.
- Encourage employers to implement robust workplace polices, clear procedures of accountability and effective training so that those disclosing sexual harassment and abuse are believed.
- Empower women and girls to know and be able to access their rights and entitlements and to access justice without penalty, in ways that are inclusive of the needs of Black and minoritised women and girls, women involved in the criminal justice system, migrant women, older women, disabled women, trans women, and women and girls in rural areas.
- Demand sustainable funding for vital specialist support services across Wales so that they are accessible whenever and wherever survivors need them.
- Call out and eradicate gender inequality as a cause and consequence of sexual harassment and abuse, along with intersecting systems of oppression experienced by women and girls like sexism, racism, homophobia, ablism, transphobia, biphobia, classism, ageism, xenophobia etc.
#TimesUp #WalesWontStandBy
Signatories:
| Adam Price, Assembly Member, Plaid Cymru |
| Ali White |
| Alice Lilley |
| Alicja Zalesinska, Tai Pawb |
| Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Amber-Ainsley Pritchard, Rewards Strategy |
| Ami Willcox |
| Amy Jolliffe |
| Anais Laurent |
| Andrew White, Stonewall Cymru |
| Ann Courtney Sherwood, Y Bont |
| Ann Williams, Live Fear Free Helpline |
| Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Auriol Miller |
| Bethan Lewis |
| Bethan Morgan |
| Bethan Sayed, Assembly Member, Plaid Cymru |
| Cara Carmichael Aitchison, Vice-Chancellor, Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Carl Foulkes, Chief Constable of North Wales Police |
| Carolyn Harris MP, Swansea East |
| Catherine Fookes, Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales |
| Catherine Philips |
| Cathy Elder |
| Catrin Lloyd |
| Charlie Arthur, Women’s Aid Rhondda Cynon Taff |
| Cheyenne Mahoney |
| Chisomo Phiri, NUS Wales |
| Chris Moore Williams |
| Chrissie Nicholls |
| Christina Parker |
| Crash Wigley |
| Crisiant McEvoy |
| Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Daniel De’Ath, Cardiff Council |
| Dawn Bowden, Welsh Labour Assembly Member |
| Debbie Palmer |
| Debbie Wilcox, Newport City Council |
| Deborah Davies, Newport Council |
| Delyth Jewell, Assembly Member, Plaid Cymru for South Wales East |
| Dr Victoria Leonard |
| Eleri Butler, Welsh Women’s Aid |
| Emily Underwood-Lee, George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling |
| Emma Harris |
| Emma Renold, Professor of Childhood Studies, Cardiff University |
| Ffion Thomas, Cardiff University |
| Fflur Emlyn, RASASC North Wales |
| Frances Beecher, Llamau |
| Gemma Coleman |
| Georgina Miles |
| Gwendolyn Sterk |
| Helen Jones, Atal y Fro |
| Helen Twidle |
| Helena Herklots CBE, Older People’s Commissioner for Wales |
| Hilary Watson |
| Huw Irranca Davies, Assembly Member |
| Jane Henshaw, Labour, Cardiff Council |
| Jane Ruthe, RASASC North Wales |
| Jane Stephens, Montgomeryshire Family Crisis Centre |
| Jeff Cuthbert, Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Jemma Wray |
| Jennie Henderson, Stepping Stones |
| Jennie Rathbone, Assembly Member, Labour |
| Jessica Taylor, Vice Chair |
| Jo Todd, Respect |
| Joanna Harris |
| Joanne Hopkins, Adverse Childhood Experiences Hub |
| Jocelyn Davies, Welsh Women’s Aid Ambassador |
| John Griffiths, Assembly Member for Newport East |
| John Puzey, Director, Shelter Cymru |
| Joy Dyment, Trustee |
| Joyce Watson, Assembly Member, Welsh Labour |
| Julie Richards |
| Karen Ling, Newport Women’s Aid |
| Kate Jones, Thrive Women’s Aid |
| Katie Dalton, Cymorth Cymru |
| Katie Nash |
| Laura Carter |
| Leanne Wood, Assembly Member, Plaid Cymru |
| Lindsay Birrell, CAHA Women’s Aid |
| Liz Dominey, Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland |
| Llinos Price |
| Lynda Thorne, Cardiff Council |
| Lynne Neagle, Assembly Member, Welsh Labour |
| Lynne Sanders, Swansea Women’s Aid |
| Majella Kavanagh |
| Margot Parker, East Midlands MEP |
| Mark Collins, Chief Constable Dyfed Powys Police |
| Mark Isherwood, Assembly Member, Conservative Party |
| Michelle Pooley, West Wales Domestic Abuse Service |
| Michelle Whelan, Calan Domestic Violence Service |
| Mick Antoniw, Assembly Member, Welsh Labour |
| Miriam Merkova |
| Mirka Johanna Virtanen, The Green Party of England and Wales |
| Morgan Fackrell, Cardiff Women’s Aid |
| Mutale Merrill, BAWSO |
| Mwenya Chimba |
| Natalie Blakeborough |
| Natasha Hirst |
| Natasha Sullivan-Dungey |
| Nick Capaldi, Arts Council of Wales |
| Owen Jones, Labour Councillor for Splott |
| Paul Davies, Leader of the Welsh Conservative Assembly |
| Paula Hardy, South Wales Police |
| Paula Walters, Chair of Welsh Women’s Aid Board of Trustees |
| Peter Tangney |
| Peter Wong |
| Philip Walker, The Survivors Trust |
| Rachael Eagles, CEO, Calan Domestic Violence Service |
| Rachel Williams, Welsh Women’s Aid Ambassador |
| Rebecca James |
| Rhiannon Maniatt |
| Rose Baxter |
| Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales |
| Sara Kirkpatrick, Respect |
| Sara Timothy |
| Sarah Evans, Cadwyn Housing Association |
| Sarah Ingham |
| Sarah Merry, Cardiff Council |
| Sarah Thomas, National Federation of Women’s Institutes Wales |
| Shavanah Taj, TUC Wales |
| Sian Gwenllian, Assembly Member, Plaid Cymru |
| Sian Harries, Welsh Women’s Aid Ambassador |
| Siwan Richards |
| Sophie Howe, Future Generations Commissioner |
| Stephen Hughes, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner |
| Sue Roberts, Stepping Stones North Wales |
| Suzy Davies, Assembly Member, Welsh Conservative Party |
| Tessa Marshall |
| Tina Reece |
| Vicky Lang |
| Victoria Samuel |
| Vikki Howells, Assembly Member, Welsh Labour |
Progress on Times Up in Wales to date:
In 2018, Welsh Women’s Aid took the Time’s Up awareness campaign to the BAFTA Cymru awards and Cardiff International Film Festival. We received funding from Time’s Up UK – Justice and Equality fund, set up as a result of the global Time’s Up and #MeToo movement to provide training that will increase the knowledge and skills of women’s support services across Wales to help women who’ve experienced sexual harassment and abuse.
We have also met with and held events with activists, industry professionals, unions, legal professionals, student representatives and education professionals to raise awareness of women’s experiences. We heard from women from diverse backgrounds and experiences to identify the actions that need to happen in Wales to become a nation where women and girls live free from harassment, and have the opportunity to thrive in a safe and equal society.
Our Time’s Up network have told us that to achieve this, we need:
- Commitment by employers to deliver robust workplace polices, clear procedures of accountability, effective training and promotion of gender equality
- Active promotion of women’s rights, including enabling access for all women to their legal and civil rights to challenge sexual harassment
- Sustainably-funded specialist support services across Wales so that they are accessible whenever and wherever survivors need them
- An intersectional approach sewn in to the fabric of our actions, ensuring we expose and call out all discriminatory attitudes, behaviours and systems that maintain and reproduce inequality for all women
[1] http://www.welshwomensaid.org.uk/2018/03/women-wales-press-progress/