Today, the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW) launched a briefing paper on England and Wales Police and Crime Commissioners’ responses to the issues impacting women and girls, based on a review of the 42 England and Wales Police and Crime Plans.
Welsh Women’s Aid CEO Eleri Butler said:
“Welsh Women’s Aid shares EVAW’s concerns that too many Police and Crime Commissioners still fail to adequately recognise the scale of violence against women and girls and take adequate steps to prevent and eradicate this violation of women’s human rights.
In Wales, the four Police and Crime Commissioners and police forces identify domestic and sexual abuse as priorities for action, and they collaborate with devolved services to support investment into local specialist services locally.
Welsh Women’s Aid is also working with South Wales PCC to pilot an innovative early intervention and prevention model that brings together specialist services and survivors with community champions and public services, to create Change that Lasts. By doing so, we aim to ensure help is available earlier, abusers’ behaviour is challenged and violence prevention is prioritised.
We also work with police forces in Wales to deliver training, like the Domestic Abuse Matters programme, addressing coercive controlling, sexual violence, stalking and harassment.
However, greater consistency in responses to women and girls is still needed across Wales and England so that all police forces and Commissioners deliver evidence-based interventions that ensure violence against all women and girls is prevented. Only by investing in our specialist services and by working together can we achieve lasting change in our communities.”
Read the full report by EVAW here.
Read EVAW’s press release here.