‘Wales is trailblazing in this area’

The Welsh parliament's (Senedd) Equality and Social Justice Committee has advocated the public health approach used in Wales to tackle gender-based violence, following an inquiry. The Senedd committee's report calls gender-based violence an epidemic, citing shocking statistics that two women per week in England and Wales are killed by a current or former partner and one in three women will experience domestic abuse throughout the course of their lives.

The Equality and Social Justice Committee is made up of six cross-party Members of the Senedd (MS) and chaired by Welsh Labour member Jenny Rathbone. In her introduction to the inquiry report, which made 12 recommendations, Rathbone emphasised the importance of taking collective responsibility for tackling gender-based violence (GBV), especially through engagement by men and boys.

'Our recommendations emphasise the leading role the Welsh Government has to play in promoting gender equality across the public, private and third sectors, acknowledging that it is the assumed dominance of men in our families, our work and our culture which is the building block for endemic gender-based violence, ensuring that interventions to prevent and mitigate GBV are based on the best available evidence of what works, [and] supporting those in positions of responsibility starting with frontline services with the training and resources to deliver effective interventions.'

The committee's inquiry explored the ways a public health approach to tackling gender-based violence was being applied in Wales, with a particular focus on primary and secondary prevention. In its report, the committee outlined what a public health approach to violence prevention would look like.

'The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines a public health approach to violence prevention as "seeking to improve the health and safety of all individuals by addressing underlying risk factors that increase the likelihood that an individual will become a victim or a perpetrator of violence". Applying this approach to gender-based violence… involves addressing it as a public health concern rather than solely an individual problem. It incorporates programmes for the population as a whole and aims to deliver cultural change. As such it recognises that GBV is a widespread and complex problem…'

As well as oral evidence and written evidence – including a response submitted by the British Psychological Society – the inquiry worked with an advisory group made up of women who had lived through GBV. The report emphasised the role of gender inequality in gender-based violence, citing Public Health Wales evidence that it is perpetuated by a culture of silence and denial which is 'both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality'.

The authors also cited written evidence from Dr Stephen Burrell (Durham University), a Deputy Director of the Centre for Research into Violence and Abuse. He said the gendered roots of violence against women and girls remained front and centre to a public health approach. 'Ultimately, this violence is founded in, and plays a significant role in reproducing gender inequalities in which women's lives are valued less and men are encouraged to expect to have more power. This cannot simply be seen as one among many factors contributing to gender-based violence – it is the central factor.'

The Welsh Government, the report authors said, should adopt a whole-government approach and work with partners in public, private, and third sectors to promote gender inequality and inclusivity in Wales. It suggests implementing a 'gender equality test' to assess policy decisions and legislative proposals on gender equality – with an aim to reduce gender disparities.

Engaging men and boys in tackling GBV was also highlighted as key – evidence from the Welsh Government's Social Justice Minister said we must challenge the attitudes and the change behaviours of those who behaved abusively. 'It is not for women to modify their behaviour, it is for abusers to change theirs.' The intersectionality of GBV was also pointed to in the report, including the role of poverty, which researcher Dr Nathan Eisenstadt (Bristol University) said was 'one of the highest risk factors for both perpetration and victimisation'.

Among its other recommendations, the committee urged the Welsh government to ensure that specialised therapy services were available for children and young people who had experienced or witnessed GBV. It also suggested a review of healthy-relationship teaching in schools – including whether there were enough resources to allow for teaching about healthy relationships and explore whether there was a link between a lack of provision and higher levels of deprivation.

The committee report quoted BPS evidence which pointed out that children spend a significant amount of time in school and their experiences in the classroom, on the playground and time with peers would impact their behaviour towards others. 'Schools are in a unique position to positively shape children's views through an awareness about safe, equal and healthy relationships and translating these into practice.'

The report referred to the BPS's evidence on the extreme views expressed by social media influencers saying, 'Witnesses discussed online safety and social media, including concerns about "extreme misogyny" which is often disseminated and can influence the attitudes and behaviours of young people'.

The committee recommended that the Welsh government should consider funding a nationwide public awareness campaign with a top male, sporting role model who can inspire other men and boys to take a stand against violence and promote positive values and behaviours.

Dr Cerys Miles, Chair of the British Psychological Society's Division of Forensic Psychology in Wales, which contributed to the written evidence, said gender-based violence was widespread in society and could only be tackled through more partnership working and collaboration. 'The committee rightly recognises the huge strides that the Welsh government has already taken to protect women and girls against violence. Wales is trailblazing in this area in the UK.

However, we'd like to see more resources dedicated to intervention and prevention given the enormity of the problem and the impact it has on victims and society at large. Psychologists have a key role to play in tackling violence against women, working with women and children impacted by abuse and supporting other professions to undertake work in a trauma-informed way.'

Read the committee's full report; read the BPS written evidence.