International Women’s Day 2019 Pledge for Action

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:

  1. 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.
  2. Encourage employers to implement robust workplace polices, clear procedures of accountability and effective training so that those disclosing sexual harassment and abuse are believed.
  3. 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.
  4. Demand sustainable funding for vital specialist support services across Wales so that they are accessible whenever and wherever survivors need them.
  5. 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/