Latest News

  • Police cautions overused to hit targets, says Dyfed-Powys PCC

    A police and crime commissioner has pledged to end his officers' culture of issuing cautions for serious offences.

    Dyfed-Powys Police were more likely to give cautions than any other force in Wales or England, with 45% of serious offenders being warned not prosecuted.

    Christopher Salmon blamed "target culture" and has ordered a review.
     
    Wales' four police forces last year issued cautions for offences including assault, sexual offences, burglary and drugs trafficking and supply offences.
     
    The average rate of serious crimes dealt with by caution across Wales and England was 26% with more than 200,000 people cautioned last year.
     
    South Wales Police had the lowest rate of cautions issued with just 19% of offenders issued with one.
     
    Cautions are recorded in crime figures as detections and though not regarded as convictions they do result in a criminal record for the offender.
     
    Click here to read more about this story.
     
  • Daniel Craig donates stool to WWA's Balck Tie Charity Gala!

    James Bond actor Daniel Craig has donated a stool used on the film SKYFALL to WWA's Black Tie Charity Gala.

    The stool, signed by the actor, will be auctioned at the event taking place on the 12th of April at the The Vale Resort, Hensol Park, Vale of Glamorgan.

  • WWA response to South Wales Police being investigated for handling of crimes relating to violence against women

    This comment is in response to the Guardian news story on 10th March 2013, which revealed that ‘victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape say they were left at risk following fundamental errors’. 

    The IPCC is conducting five investigations into South Wales Police’s handlings of VAW cases, just two years after an investigation into the deaths of four women in South Wales as a result of domestic violence. A further investigation is being conducted into a complaint from another alleged victim of domestic violence who says that details of her allegations of domestic abuse perpetrated against her by South Wales police officer partner were leaked to him by colleagues, putting her at risk. 

    Click here to view the story on the Guardian website. 
  • International Women's Day - Charity Song

    Welsh singer/songwriter Rye Milligan is releasing his debut EP, IMPACT, and will be donating the proceeds to Welsh Women's Aid.

    Rye said "This song is about rising up, and standing up against abuse to women, mental and physical".

    Rye will be donating £1 from every copy of the EP sold between the 8th of March 2013 and 8th of March 2014 to Welsh Women's Aid.

  • NGO Anti-Trafficking Forum Wales launches petition
    On the 6th April 2013, a European Directive to prevent and combat trafficking in human beings and protect victims (2011/36/EU) comes into force. If implemented fully in the UK, it could help make the fight against human trafficking more effective, and provide a much improved lifeline of protection and safety to children, women and men who have been trafficked across the UK.
    Full implementation of the Directive is widely supported and endorsed by the NGO Anti-Trafficking Forum Wales, the Cross Party Group on Human Trafficking at the National Assembly for Wales and Group of Experts on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). It is also an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss, to ensure the protection of some of the most vulnerable people in society.If you want the UK Government to protect lives at risk and commit in full to ending human trafficking in Wales and the UK without exceptions or spin, click here to add your name to the petition.

     

     

     

See All News

It is estimated that around 3 million women across the UK experience rape, domestic violence, forced marriage, stalking, sexual exploitation, trafficking and other forms of violence every year. This is the equivalent to the population of Wales.

Report of the Secretary General, 2006

At least 12 women die each year in the UK as a result of 'honour'-based killing

Fawcett Society (2009)

What is Violence Against Women?

'Any act of gender based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life’ - 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Violence Against Women Covers

•         Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence is the actual or threatened physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or financial abuse of a woman by a partner, family member or someone with whom there is, or has been, a close relationship. This abuse also relates to the perpetrator allowing or causing a child to witness, or be at risk of witnessing, domestic abuse."

•         Sexual Violence, abuse and exploitation – Rape Crisis / SARC

Sexual violence includes a range of different behaviours, many of which - such as sexual assault or rape - are crimes. Sexual abuse is often a component of domestic violence - for example, partners and former partners may use force, threats or intimidation to engage in sexual activity; they may taunt or use degrading treatment related to sexuality, force the use of pornography, or force their partners to have sex with other people.  Rape and sexual assault are crimes, whether or not they take place within marriage or between partners or ex-partners.

•         Stalking and harassment –  Protection Against Stalking

Stalking is a form of harassment generally comprised of repeated persistent following with no legitimate reason and with the intention of harming, or so as to arouse anxiety or fear of harm in the person being followed. Stalking may also take the form of harassing telephone calls, computer communications, letter-writing, etc

•         Trafficking – BAWSO / Poppy Project

Sexual Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation (within national or across international borders),transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation.  Sexual trafficking is accomplished by means of fraud, deception, threat of or use of force, abuse of a position of vulnerability, and other forms of coercion

•         Female Genital Mutilation – BAWSO / Forward

Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes procedures that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

•         Forced Marriage – BAWSO / Henna Foundation / Forced Marriage Unit

A forced marriage is a marriage conducted without valid consent of one or both parties, and some form of duress is involved. This could be emotional pressure – for example, parents may insist that rejection of this marriage partner would bring shame to the family; or arrangements for marriage might be made (perhaps abroad) without intended bride being told the purpose of the trip.

•         Crimes committed in the name of honour – BAWSO / Henna Foundation

Honour Based Violence can be distinguished from other forms of violence, as it is often committed with some degree of approval and/or collusion from family and / or community members. Examples may include murder, un-explained death (suicide), fear of or actual forced marriage, controlling sexual activity, domestic abuse (including psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse), child abuse, rape, kidnapping, false imprisonment, threats to kill, assault, harassment, forced abortion. This list is not exhaustive.

VAW denies women and girls the most fundamental human rights- life, liberty, bodily integrity, freedom of movement and dignity of the person.