Mark Isherwood AM – the Shadow Welsh Minister for Communities, who Co-Chairs the Cross Party Group on Violence against Women and Children – has added his voice to calls for the Welsh Government to provide urgent emergency funding for services providing violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence (VAWDASV) to respond to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
Having been copied directly on the strongly-worded letter sent by Welsh Women’s Aid to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, he has written to the Deputy Minister asking her “what new money has been ring-fenced to support VAWDASV services in response to coronavirus, aside from the £1.2m announced in December, following the UK Government announcements of £750m for charities and £2m for domestic abuse helplines and online support?“.
Mr Isherwood said:
It is shocking that 2 weeks after the Home Secretary announced that the Home Office is working with charities in England to provide an additional £2 million to immediately bolster domestic abuse helplines and online support, Welsh Women’s Aid had to send a letter to the Welsh Government expressing ‘confusion, frustration and concern’ amongst VAWDASV specialist services across Wales about what additional funding is being made available to them as a response to COVID-19.
The Welsh Government needs to back its verbal commitment to supporting survivors of VAWDASV by ensuring that all the funding it receives from the UK Government in consequence of the funding it has given to these specialist services in England is ring-fenced for the specialist services providing this essential support in Wales.
Mr Isherwood added that he hopes to receive a detailed explanation, with timeframes, of when and how funding will be allocated to the VAWDASV sector in Wales, saying:
Those experiencing domestic abuse need reassurance that specialist support is there for them when they need it.
