The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth, and amendment 2 in the name of Darren Millar.

Item 4 on the agenda this afternoon is a debate on International Human Rights Day, and I call on the Leader of the House and the Chief Whip to move the motion—Julie James.

Motion NDM6896 Julie James

To propose the National Assembly of Wales:

1. Acknowledges International Human Rights Day on Monday 10 December 2018.

2. Recognises the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Motion moved.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Human rights are relevant to every one of us every day. Monday 10 December, International Human Rights Day, marks 70 years since the United Nations general assembly adopted the universal declaration of human rights. This was a vital milestone document to safeguard against a repeat of the atrocities committed in world war two. It proclaimed inalienable rights to which everyone is inherently entitled as a human being, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. 

A distinctive approach to human rights has been woven into the Welsh devolution settlement. The Government of Wales Act 2006 requires the Welsh Government to act compatibly with the European convention on human rights. This is reflected in our domestic law by the Human Rights Act 1998 and also with its international obligations, including the seven UN conventions signed and ratified by the UK state party. Put another way, human rights are in our DNA. The principles enshrined in the declaration of human rights are as relevant today as they were in 1948. 

We are living in difficult and uncertain times, where austerity is falling disproportionately on those least able to bear it, impacting directly on their human rights. Individuals and families are losing their homes and going without food. We know only too well that levels of poverty across Wales and the rest of the UK are too high. Professor Alston, the United Nations special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, stated after his visit to the UK that the responsibility for this rests squarely with the UK Government and its austerity and welfare reform policies. He said

'There are few places in government where these developments are more tangible than in the benefit system. We are witnessing the gradual disappearance of the postwar British welfare state behind a webpage and an algorithm. In its place, a digital welfare state is emerging. The impact on the human rights of the most vulnerable in the UK will be immense.'

The Equality and Human Rights Commission's report, 'The impact of welfare reform and welfare-to-work programmes', published in March, told of the potentially devastating impact of the UK Government tax and welfare reforms on people with protected characteristics. It predicted that nearly half of all households in Wales will lose out from the reforms and that the largest impact will be felt by people on the lowest incomes, including women, certain ethnic groups and households with children. The EHRC's 'Is Wales Fairer? (2018)' report also found that the most disadvantaged groups in Wales are falling even further behind the rest of society. 

Globally, many of the underlying values and principles of human rights are being undermined, and in some countries completely ignored. Our political discourse has become blighted by divisive narratives, driven by those who seem determined to create tensions between communities. Social media, in particular, is far too often a haven for racism and xenophobia, with individuals using the concept of free speech as a defence, with an expectation that they can write whatever they please without consequence.

Wales has a long history of compassion, tolerance and respecting and welcoming others. I know that a country that values diversity and enables our various communities to participate equally will be stronger as a result.

It is always the most vulnerable whose rights are denied first—the poor, women, racial and ethnic minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus people, children, single parents and disabled people. It is simply unacceptable that here in the UK in the twenty-first century one in five women are victims of sexual violence, one in four women are victims of domestic abuse and two women a week die at the hands of their intimate partners or former partners. We also have stubborn and persistent gender pay gaps in Wales, and far too few women in the most senior roles.

Our intersectional approach to phase 2 of the gender equality review involves working across different equalities strands, including race, disability and age, aiming to ensure that no-one is left behind. We recognise that women and girls who experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination are often excluded from progress. We will soon have a clear road map for achieving gender equality in Wales.

Turning to disability, let me start by highlighting the disability employment gap. In Wales, just 45 per cent of working-age disabled people are currently in employment, compared to 80 per cent of those who are not disabled. This is just one example, although a very important one, of the obstacles facing disabled people. Our new framework, 'Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living', is rooted in the social model of disability, and sets out how we will tackle some of the key barriers identified by disabled people themselves. These include transport, employment, housing and access to buildings and places. Disabled people must have access to the same opportunities as everyone else.

Race is another crucial issue. Seventy-five per cent of hate crimes in Wales relate to race or religion—that reflects thousands of vile examples of verbal, physical and online abuse being inflicted every day on innocent people because of their appearance, and we know that many such incidents still go unreported. Our black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are still not adequately represented in our media, in politics or in our workplaces. We are working hard to change this. Our BAME projects are essential to making Wales the inclusive-to-all and welcoming country we know it can and should be.

Gypsies, Roma and Travellers are amongst the most marginalised in our society. They experience discrimination, inequality and a lack of opportunities, perpetuating the negative views and misconceptions that fill the narrative around them. Recent research by the EHRC showed that 44 per cent of the general public openly admitted to being hostile towards these groups. To illustrate this, comments under a recent Wales Online article about a Gypsy and Traveller community funeral in Cardiff included calls for the residents to be moved to Auschwitz and burnt out of their camp. One person posted a picture of a Nazi soldier with the caption, 'Get the gas.' These comments, which are not an isolated case, remained visible for several days, causing great distress to the Gypsy and Traveller community. We must be clear: we cannot and will not tolerate any such actions or statements seeking to encourage such extreme and abhorrent views. 

Will the leader of the house take an intervention?

Of course.

A fine speech so far, but would she reflect that the leader of UKIP in Wales, Neil Hamilton, is not present in this Chamber to listen to your free speech, yet he felt it was appropriate for him to share a platform with Tommy Robinson last week in the name of free speech? Would she express disappointment in that?

Well, indeed—a point well made. 

We must be resilient in the face of extremists. Together, we must continue to build a strong and diverse society, where people of every race, faith and colour are valued for their character and their actions. We all want to help create a peaceful and harmonious country, where our children and future generations can thrive. 

'Prosperity for All' sets out the Welsh Government's vision for Wales as a vibrant, welcoming and cohesive place to live and work—a country we can proud of, which is outward looking and where people of all backgrounds are respected and valued. This vision underpins our new 'Nation of Sanctuary—Refugee and Asylum Seeker Plan', which sets out cross-Government commitments to provide equality of opportunity, reduce discrimination and promote good relations for people seeking sanctuary in Wales. 

Every local authority in Wales showed leadership in response to the Syrian refugee crisis by agreeing to resettle families in their area. A United Nations delegation visited us following the first resettlements, and was very impressed with the welcome that had been provided by Welsh communities. Individuals in Welsh communities have led the way in coming together and forming community sponsorship organisations, who have themselves been able to welcome refugee families with minimal Government support. A fantastic example of wanting to contribute to the communities that have embraced them was the election of a Syrian refugee to the Youth Parliament last week from my own constituency. I'm very proud of that, Deputy Presiding Officer. This shows that leadership and a commitment to equality can arise anywhere, but the experiences of those who migrate to Wales remain very mixed, even when they have been here for many years or decades. 

Earlier this year, the Windrush scandal exposed tragic examples of individuals being forgotten as policies are developed. Thousands of British subjects and citizens have faced insecure immigration status, despite previous assurances that they are part of Britain. Some were deported and others have been denied healthcare, lost their jobs or been unable to return to Britain. The full extent of the scandal is still being explored, but the public outrage, including from Wales, demonstrated the public's commitment to fairness. I would like to hope that such a policy would never be developed in Wales, but we must be vigilant and redouble our efforts to put people at the centre of our policy making.

This is especially important with the uncertainty affecting our society as a result of Brexit. No-one feels this more than the 80,000 EU citizens who live in Wales, and the smaller number of Welsh citizens currently living in the EU. We have a responsibility to these members of our community. We need to use every tool at our disposal in the coming months to ensure these individuals are reassured that we value their contribution to our economy and our community, supported to apply for settled status and do not experience additional barriers in the future. 

Last month saw the anniversary of the passage of the Human Rights Act 1998. To mark this, the Counsel General was asked to deliver the Eileen Illtyd memorial lecture on human rights 2018, 'A Human Rights Act for Wales?' In his lecture, which I was privileged to attend, the Counsel General said that

'a piecemeal approach to human rights protection may well not capture the same benefits that a dynamic and comprehensive approach could bring.'

I want to reiterate that we are acutely aware of these questions, and are committed to looking at ways of strengthening rights and protections in Wales. 

Members will also recollect our recent debate on the option to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Welsh law. Since then, I've been reflecting on these issues, taking into account calls from a variety of stakeholders for the Welsh Government to take action to safeguard equality and human rights in the context of Brexit, and do more to embed international treaties in Welsh law. In my recent discussions with, among others, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, I've been clear that it is not a matter of whether we will do something, but what action will be most effective. 

In consequence, I've asked officials to consider the potential impact of a range of actions, including new legislation enacting the socioeconomic duty in the Equality Act 2010, and strengthened regulation. A crucial question is how any such action would relate to the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This work will be linked to phase 2 of the gender equality review. To move it forward, we will be convening a seminar early in the new year to engage with key stakeholders and scope the work that will be needed in more detail.

In the face of unprecedented change, we must, and will, be proactive, ambitious, forward thinking and continue to do whatever is within our powers to ensure that Wales remains a modern, inclusive place to live and work. Our clear goal, Deputy Presiding Officer, is to strengthen and build on these rights for the future. Diolch.

Thank you. I have selected the two amendments to the motion, and I call on Leanne Wood to move amendment 1, tabled in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth. 

Amendment 1—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Regrets the growth of political movements that reject the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that its work on tackling extremism includes proactive measures to prevent far right-extremism.

Amendment 1 moved.

Diolch. I move the amendment. 

As we celebrate 70 years of the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights, it's important that we examine the threats to human rights that currently exist. So, our amendment is timely because, as has already been said this afternoon, just this weekend we saw yet another example of how there are political movements that seek to reverse the human rights protections that we have. A Member of this institution was a speaker at a pro-Yaxley-Lennon march in London, and used that platform to echo an anti-Semitic theory that the French President was an agent of a foreign power. This was a march where those attending wheeled a hangman's noose and called for the Prime Minister to be hung in response to the Member's speech. This, of course, in a climate where an MP was murdered in recent history for campaigning for remaining in the European Union.

I want people in this Chamber to compare and contrast what has happened to the organisers of that march, and think about what the consequences would have been had there been a march of British Asian people shouting death threats at MPs. It's likely that such a march would have resulted in several arrests and the speakers would be looking at convictions for offences under anti-terrorism legislation and lengthy jail sentences. Or what if this march were where people were protesting about inaction on climate change? Would we have several undercover police spying on those attending, with a licence to pursue deceitful sexual relationships in the course of that work? Instead, the main organisers are likely to continue picking up lucrative salaries from the wealthy individuals who have been financing their political movements and enjoying the freedoms that they would deny to others.

Compare and contrast the way the British state has treated far-right political movements and other political movements and you will see why our amendment in the name of Plaid Cymru is needed this afternoon. Another example, of course, is the way that anti-terrorism legislation has been used to convict protestors in Stansted who tried to stop people being deported to face torture and death as part of the UK's actual immigration policy. This all takes place within the context of Brexit, of course; Brexit itself being a political project financed by the wealthy who seek to water down the protections available to workers, environmental regulations and the role of the European Court of Justice in holding Westminster Governments to account when they violate human rights.

The Scottish Government is going to be ensuring that Scottish law has a framework for protecting human rights written into all aspects of law, and my colleague Siân Gwenllian has had an encouraging response from the Welsh Government when calling for something similar here. So, I'd be interested in an update from the Welsh Government on your thinking on that area.

Seventy years on from the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights and it's important that we renew our efforts now at protecting and enhancing those rights from those political forces that want to take them away.

Thank you. I call on Mark Isherwood to move amendment 2, tabled in the name of Darren Millar.

Amendment 2—Darren Millar

Add as new points at end of motion:

Notes that the UK Government recognises that all rights set out in the UN Declaration of Human Rights are of equal importance.

Welcomes the action taken by the UK Government in prioritising tackling modern day slavery, defending freedom of religion or belief, ending inequality and discrimination, and promoting democracy.

Amendment 2 moved.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Human Rights Day two days ago marked the seventieth anniversary, as we heard, of the universal declaration of human rights, a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights that everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being, as we heard from the Cabinet Secretary at the beginning, regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is in fact the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages.

As the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission said on the sixtieth anniversary,

'I want to...say something about one of the UN's founders—Winston Churchill....Churchill's primary motivation', he said,

'for supporting the codification of our rights as citizens was his desire that we should never again witness anything like the grotesque abuse of power by the Nazi state.'

He went on to say that

'Churchill's vision was about a society that should be allowed to live free to achieve.'

We will be supporting Plaid Cymru's amendment, although we are conscious that there is a meeting point between the far right and far left.

I move amendment 2, noting that the UK Government recognises that all rights set out in the UN declaration of human rights are of equal importance and welcoming the action taken by the UK Government in prioritising tackling modern day slavery, defending freedom of religion or belief, ending inequality and discrimination, and promoting democracy. In September 2017, the Prime Minister convened world leaders at the UN General Assembly to launch a call to action to end modern slavery—one of the great human rights challenges of our time. The UK Government has doubled aid spending on the issue to address the root causes, strengthened law enforcement capacity in transit countries, and provided money to support the victims.

A year on from this, the Prime Minister's call to action, positive endorsements have been received from over 80 countries. At October's north Wales modern slavery Forum, organised by Haven of Light and attended by Wales's anti-slavery co-ordinator, we heard that modern slavery was alive in business, agriculture, hospitality, criminal activity and sexual exploitation. The UK's former Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Kevin Hyland OBE, now advises international bodies, including the UN, on human trafficking and modern slavery.

Freedom of religion or belief matters because faith guides the daily life of more than 80 per cent of the world's population, and because promoting tolerance and respect for all helps to build inclusive societies that are more stable, more prosperous and better able to resist extremism. The freedom of individuals and organisations to discuss, debate and criticise, or to hold governments to account, is an essential element of a successful society.

All people should be able to live with dignity, free from all forms of violence or discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office appointed its first special envoy on gender equality last year, who works to promote gender equality at an international level, including action to target sexual violence in conflict and unequal access to education. Last month, the UK hosted a historic conference for female parliamentarians from around the world. The UK Government works with like-minded partners at home and abroad to promote democracy as the best long-term guarantor of stability and prosperity, and hosted the Commonwealth heads of Government meeting in April to further promote the shared value of human rights, democracy and inclusion that are enshrined in the Commonwealth charter.

Disabled people around the world suffer discrimination. We must protect their rights and transform their lives. In July, the UK Government co-hosted its first ever global disabilities summit to encourage international action. As the Cabinet Secretary knows personally, because she spoke there, as honorary president of the North Wales Association for Multicultural Integration I was also pleased to speak at the annual celebration of International Integration Day at the Temple of Peace on 9 October. And I will now look forward to attending the Wrexham Town of Sanctuary launch on 1 February, with music from a Syrian refugee choir, recognising Wrexham as a place where people are proud to offer sanctuary to those fleeing violence and prosecution.

Leaving the EU does not affect our rights under the European convention on human rights, or ECHR, as this comes from the Council of Europe, not the EU. The UK Government has clearly stated that the UK is committed to membership of the ECHR and that withdrawing from it would run counter to its vision of a global Britain. The ECHR is—

Are you winding up, please?

—both British and Conservative in origin. It was advocated by Winston Churchill and drafted by former Conservative Home Secretary, David Maxwell Fyfe. Well, in the seventieth year since its adoption, the UN declaration on human rights remains a powerful statement of hope and aspiration for us all. There's been great progress since 1948, but it's a dangerous world and there's still much more to do.

Julie Morgan.

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, for calling me to speak in this very important debate. As other speakers have said, it's 70 years since the universal declaration of human rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly, which gathered in Paris on December 10, 1948. And it was voted in by 48 votes to none with eight abstentions, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the chair of the declaration drafting committee, called it a Magna Carta for all mankind—and womankind, of course. And I think it's quite significant, actually, that one of the abstainers was Saudi Arabia, and when you think about human rights in relation to Saudi Arabia recently with the issue of the journalists and women's rights in Saudi Arabia, I think that's quite significant that they did actually abstain.

I'm very pleased that the leader of the house said in her address to us that human rights are in our DNA, because I think there is a tendency to think of human rights as maybe being something a bit distant from our ordinary everyday life, maybe something a bit intellectual, something to do with charters and conferences and people sitting around in important rooms and discussing human rights, but I think that what we have to do as politicians is bring home the fact that they are what absolutely affects us in our everyday life. And something like a staggering abuse of human rights then brings it home to us, which, of course, as has already been mentioned—the Windrush scandal. I mean, that was something, I think, that did absolutely illustrate to us all how this had been going—. This abuse of human rights had been going on secretly, quietly, nobody knowing, and these terrible things had happened to people who had contributed so much to our country. You're aware of human rights on occasions like that, but, obviously, it does affect us, all of us, in our daily lives.

I was very pleased on Monday evening to go along to a meeting organised by Helen Mary Jones, setting up for renewing the human rights cross-party group here in the Assembly. And I'm sure Helen Mary will probably speak about that later on if she's called. But I just thought that was a very good initiative, and I'm very pleased to give it my support. And we did have a speaker there from Just Fair, who I thought brought out some really important points. And one of the points that he did bring out was that it's so important that you make human rights part of our everyday experience.

And, of course, the leader of the house has already mentioned another group very close to my heart—the Gypsy/Roma/Traveller group, who are discriminated against on a daily basis. I think if you are a Gypsy/Roma/Traveller, and you go out and about your ordinary day, you accept discrimination on a daily basis. I think it is one of the last respectable ways of causing abuse. And that, I think, is a great task for the Government to try to redress that issue, and I know the leader of the house is doing that. But I think we have to make a huge effort. 

But, in any case, I think we have made progress in Wales. We have made progress on children's rights, with the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, and it's been very important, I think, the consultation that we have had with children over many different issues. I'm particularly glad that we did consult children about Brexit, to ask them what they felt about Brexit, although I think, of course, we were mocked for doing that by some politicians. But I think it was so important because it's so important that equality and human rights protections are safeguarded and enhanced during the Brexit process and afterwards. So, I know that the Welsh Government will be vigilant about any loss of human rights that will happen during this process. I think it's also very important, because young people were denied the opportunity of taking part in the referendum—16 and 17-year-olds didn't have the vote—and, although, of course, we voted, their future was affected more than any of us. So, I think it was very important, for that reason, that we did actually consult children. And we do know that children are very concerned about human rights. I think Young Wales did a consultation with children, which showed that secondary school students were concerned about the environment, opportunities to study abroad, human rights and health and well-being, and young people, of course, have expressed in that consultation their frustration that they were denied a say in a vote that will affect their futures. 

There is a lot more to do, and I agree with the Equality and Human Rights Commission's recommendation in its report 'Is Wales Fairer?' that the Welsh Government should enact the socioeconomic duty, which would bring poverty and equality together and help tackle one of the biggest drivers of inequality in our country—poverty. So, I hope that is something that the Welsh Government will do, but I think it's obviously very important that we have to look at how that does fit in with the future generations Act. 

Helen Mary Jones. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased and grateful to you for allowing me to make a brief contribution to this debate today. As others have already said, this is undoubtedly a time when human rights are under threat. Goodness only knows what will become of the shambles that is the Brexit process, and how that will affect our rights and our ability in Wales to access those European protections. But what we do know, Dirprwy Lywydd, is that the whole debate around Brexit has allowed some individuals to feel that they have the right to express some particularly poisonous attitudes, and the dreadful spike in hate crime that we saw here in Wales immediately after that vote is testimony to that. And we know that there are elements in the UK press that have undermined the concept of human rights, that have made it seem something that is irrelevant, that is precious, that, as Julie Morgan has said, is something that isn't relevant to our everyday lives. And in the cross-party group, which I'll refer to again, it was very heartening to hear our speaker talk about human rights not being a matter about the left and the right of politics, as it's too often sometimes portrayed in elements of the British press. It is about basic rights that should be accessible to us all. 

I was very pleased—and I am grateful to Julie Morgan for mentioning it—to be invited in this context to help re-establish the cross-party group on human rights in this place. I was asked to do so by Associate Professor Simon Hoffman of the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law at Swansea University, an expert in the field who I know is known to many in this Chamber. Simon convenes the Wales human rights stakeholder group, a group of over 20 organisations, coming at the issue from various perspectives, and bringing a great potential wealth of expertise that I think that we can use. I was very grateful to Julie for being there on Monday, and I'm also grateful to Jayne Bryant and to Darren Millar, who have joined the group, and I hope that other Members will feel able to do so as our work progresses. As Julie Morgan has said, we met this Monday, here in this place, on international Human Rights Day. And we agreed to work together towards new, made-in-Wales comprehensive human rights legislation, incorporating the appropriate UN conventions into Welsh law.

I've been very grateful, as the leader of the house has mentioned, for the very positive way in which she responded to my proposal to incorporate the disability convention. And I'm sure that she will be having similar discussions with Darren Millar around his legislative proposal on the rights of older persons. And I was very interested to read the Counsel General's remarks, to which the leader of the house has referred today. And I'm very grateful for the whole spirit in which the leader of the house has addressed this issue in the months since I've returned here, and I very much hope—and I'm sure from what she said today—that, regardless of any changes in particular individuals' roles, the Welsh Government will continue to take this positive and extremely unpartisan approach. The cross-party group looks forward to working with the Welsh Government as this agenda is moved forward here in Wales, supporting, and challenging, where that's appropriate. And that group, as I've already said, provides an excellent reservoir of expertise, which I'm sure the Ministers in charge will want to avail themselves of.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I hope that Brexit can be reversed, and I hope that the human rights protections afforded to us by being part of the European Union, and the access that that provides to European courts, can be retained. But whether or not that is achieved, I trust that we can work together to ensure that the vital international conventions are enshrined meaningfully into Welsh law. Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi.

As everybody has said, the universal declaration of human rights is up there with the Bible—it's one of the most translated and published documents in the world, and it is available in more than 500 languages. It was crowd-sourced long before the internet. It was drafted by representatives from around the world, with different legal and cultural experiences, but they had the shared trauma of war. Like the NHS, with which it shares a birthday, the declaration was born out of a determination to build a better and fairer world. But it wasn't a lofty aspiration. It underpinned the formation of the postwar, rules-based global order. And just as that internationalist political architecture has come under increased attack from resurgent nationalist and authoritarian forces, so too have human rights. It's the job of parliamentarians to defend them, not to share the stage with right-wing bullies, who would take away the rights of others. And we must go further. Because in response to this century's big challenges—mass migration, climate change, huge wealth inequality—human rights must be strengthened, not weakened, extended, not reined in.

That brings me, inevitably, to Brexit. Brexit, of course, has important implications for human rights in this country. We shall see what happens this evening in Westminster. The UK Government has legislated to incorporate EU laws concerning protection against discrimination and workers' rights, but it chose to discard the EU charter of fundamental rights, which guarantees protection in employment, equality and privacy. What might that mean, for example, for pregnant women, working parents and people with disabilities? I have no doubt that our current rights will come under attack from the usual right-wing, red-tape brigade and deregulation fanatics.

And one final point: international Human Rights Day also marked the end of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. I've been campaigning with the Women's Institute—both here and in Aberystwyth, and across the region—within those two weeks, pushing the respect agenda into all communities. And the White Ribbon campaign asked people to pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. But that message is undercut if, when people do come forward, the police fail to act properly. So, I was a little bit dismayed last week to learn that, according to the Criminal Justice Inspectorates, 8,400 crimes have not been properly recorded by Dyfed-Powys and Gwent police. And I want to focus on Dyfed-Powys as it covers most of my region. Of the 3,300 reported crimes not recorded annually, 1,500 are violent crimes, 70 are sex offences, seven are vulnerable victim cases and 66 are cases of domestic abuse—nearly a quarter of all reported crime. In many cases, victims will only be able to access support services when a crime is recorded. So, this is a serious failure, and I expect the police leadership and police and crime commissioners to get a grip and to stop letting down the victims of abuse. Within this country, they have a fundamental human right to protection. Thank you.

I'd like, just for a few moments, to speak about the wonderful opportunity that I think Wales has to continue to lead the way in its approach to human rights. I was very privileged to sit on the committee that considered the children and young people's rights Measure back in 2011. I have to say that that was a milestone, I think, for this National Assembly in demonstrating its commitment to the rights agenda, which has been so important in putting children at the heart of a rights-based approach to policy making and decision making, not just by the Welsh Government, but, of course, also by other public authorities. 

As Helen Mary Jones quite rightly referred, I've been very fortunate enough to win a ballot here in the National Assembly to try to bring forward another piece of what I believe will be groundbreaking legislation in order that we can continue to move the rights-based approach into the area of older people's rights. Wales has led the way when it's come to older people's rights. We were the first nation in the UK to appoint an older people's commissioner, and I think it's fair to say that we are regarded globally as a great place for people to grow old. But we have an opportunity, I think, in order to embed those rights further into Welsh law. We already have incorporated them, of course, into the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2006, which, of course, the leader of the house will remember very sharply, I think. 

But I think they've been embraced by those local authorities that had duties under that Act and they've been embraced by the Welsh Government. And that's why I've been very pleased to see the extremely positive responses that I've received so far from the older people's commissioner, from Age Alliance Wales and Age Cymru, and a whole host of other older people stakeholder organisations, to the proposals for an older people's rights Bill. I would very much welcome a response from the leader of the house today to provide an update, really, on the work that I know has already been going on in terms of trying to make older people's rights real. 

We must never forget that we have over 800,000 older people in Wales. We are an ageing society and we should celebrate the role that older people play and the contribution that they make to our country. But it seems to me that ageism is still one of those things that, very often, we laugh about and that we accept and seem to tolerate in a way that we don't with other protected characteristics such as race, gender and sexuality. I think that that's something that we need to deal with as a nation. So, I think that embedding older people's rights further into Welsh law, helping to communicate and promote those rights to older people, and indeed to all public services and everybody across the country, is an important way of helping people to realise those rights and to be able to access them. So, I do hope that I can work closely with the Government, whoever the appropriate Minister may be, perhaps in the coming weeks and the new year, to help get this piece of legislation onto the statute books. 

But I also look forward to working with the cross-party group on human rights. I was delighted that Helen Mary Jones has led the charge on re-establishing that group and I look forward to engaging with it and the Welsh Government to promote this rights-based agenda, which I think we've done very well with to date.

It's been 70 years since the United Nations universal declaration of human rights was adopted, and we've come a long way in the last seven decades, but we haven't come far enough. For millions of people around the world, those universal promises and protections are nothing but a distant dream. The 30 articles that we hold so dear have little meaning to the people in Yemen or Venezuela, Syria or South Sudan, Somalia or Saudi Arabia. Men, women and children who struggle and fight each day just to stay alive do not enjoy the rights and protections drafted following the horrors of the second world war and the Holocaust. Many are forced to flee their homes and their former lives in search of safety, faced with journeys that are often as dangerous as the one they hope to leave behind as they cross the Mediterranean, or Mexico, in pursuit of a safe haven.

But it is not just those in war-torn regions that are denied basic rights; we see human rights abuses in western civilisation. In the so-called land of the free, US citizens are denied basic rights, human rights, on a daily basis, and it is evident that members of the BME community do receive harsher prison sentences than white members. The US has a leader who is hostile to refugees and he thinks it is okay to forcibly break up families and imprison children whose only crime is to flee famine, war and persecution. Some families are not reunited and despite this, he is sometimes idolised by some people on the far right who hope to emulate him.

Closer to home, our wheelchair users cannot travel together for any distances and be companions on a train or bus because our infrastructure is not equipped to ensure that equality. Also close to home, just down the road in Swansea, in Cardiff, we have a homeless epidemic, where men and women, many of whom are ex-forces, are denied their article 25 rights. Rather than ensuring these poor unfortunate souls have a right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of themselves and of their families—including food, clothing, housing and medical care—some politicians are concerned with ensuring homeless people do not make their high streets look unsightly. In a park in Swansea the other day, I came across a person sleeping behind the bushes, hidden from view, wrapped in a blanket, ashamed to be homeless, and at that moment in time I felt ashamed to be a politician.

We also have politicians and entire political parties who attack people based upon their religious views or their choice of dress, and seek to pit communities against one another and make celebrities out of people who spread racism, bigotry and misogyny online. And we have a right—we have to stand up to these people: people who want to see this document torn up, people who would love to see legally binding human rights removed, people who put petty nationalism before humanism.

On 10 December 1948, the majority of world leaders had the foresight to see that our future did not lie in more warfare and division but that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. We have to defend these rights from those who would see them torn up and diluted, not just from the likes of Bashar al-Assad, Vladimir Putin, Tayyip Erdoğan or Kim Jong-un, but from the likes of Gerard Batten and Tommy Robinson—Gerard Batten, who obviously thought that a woman's place was not in politics. Hopefully, it won't take another 70 years before all 7 billion of us who share this planet enjoy the same inalienable rights ratified by world leaders on 10 December 1948. I will be supporting both the amendments, Rhun, and will acknowledge that extremism in any form, whether it be extreme left, extreme right—anywhere—is not conducive to our environment and society. Because we are all equal regardless of the colour of our skin, the religion we follow, our sex, our physical ability, our economic situation or the country we live in, and the sooner everyone accepts that, the more peaceful our planet will be. Diolch yn fawr.

It is important, today of all days, that we, as the National Assembly for Wales, acknowledge International Human Rights Day on Monday, 10 December 2018. Seventy years on since the adoption of the universal declaration of human rights, the advancement of social justice and equality was one of the core fundamental reasons that I, and, I know, others in this Chamber, entered political life, and it is why the progress and maintenance of social justice and equality of opportunity is at the bedrock of all that I do as the Assembly Member for Islwyn. In fact, fighting the ideology of the far right and BNP was fundamental to my personal journey. It was a Labour United Kingdom Government that was an original signatory to the European convention on human rights and it was a Labour United Kingdom Government that enshrined it into our law, with the passing of the 1998 Human Rights Act.

But it is, indeed, as others have said today, a sad day when the leader of the UKIP group smiles and encourages the former leader of the English Defence League and BNP member at a recent rally—and his real name, I believe, is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—now advising UKIP.

Last year, the UK Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, addressed the United Nations in Geneva. Jeremy Corbyn outlined in that address the problems that our common humanity faces. He stated, and I quote, that the growing concentration of unaccountable wealth and power in the hands of a tiny corporate elite, a system many call 'neoliberalism', which has a sharply increased inequality, marginalisation, insecurity and anger across the world. We know that challenges such as these threaten the advancement of social justice, and, now more than ever, we have to confront these challenges head on. It is therefore saddening to see, every day, the growing queues at food banks across the UK and the increase in evictions and homelessness. It is saddening to see, every day, the continuing financial and time sanctions inflicted on the discredited universal credit—our most vulnerable claimants affected—the cuts to child benefit, the cuts to tax credit thresholds, the travesty of the personal independent payment assessments and the strategic dumping of the UK welfare support net for our most vulnerable, despite the strategic and far-reaching mitigations of our Welsh Government. The recent UN report into poverty and human rights in Britain follows a further damning rights report into how the UK treats its disabled. No-one here should be proud of that. It states that the application of the UK social policy welfare system drives poverty, creates homelessness, disempowers women, the disabled and children, and fundamentally breaks human rights, and, further, that the dangerous ideology driving universal credit, which puts financial resource into the hands of the main, male breadwinner, often, drives domestic abuse and sexual violence, is mysoginistic.

It is therefore important, then, as we contemplate the UK human rights agenda and our place in world, and the implications of whatever Brexit is, on this day of all days, that we do all, I hope, in our power to protect the human rights we have now to safeguard them for the future and enshrine them in our constitution for the future of our children's rights now and for the years to come. Thank you.

Thank you. Can I now call the leader of the house and the chief whip to reply to the debate? Julie James.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very grateful to all Members for their reflections and insights on this important anniversary day. Turning to the amendments, we will be supporting amendment 1. The Welsh Government is strongly opposed to all forms of extremism, including far-right extremism. In 'Prosperity for All: the national strategy', we set out our ambition to work with communities, the voluntary sector and local services to counter the threat of extremism and hate crime in all or communities.

In October, I had the privilege to meet with Sara Khan, the lead commissioner for countering extremism. We discussed the developing role of the commission and how it can support our ambition in Wales to tackle all forms of extremism, including far-right extremism—the most prevalent form of extremism in Wales. While in Wales, the commissioner also met with a number of our stakeholders as part of our evidence gathering. This will help inform a better understanding of extremism and how it may be countered. 

We do have an effective mechanism for engagement at senior level through our CONTEST and extremism board Wales. The board is co-chaired by the Welsh Government and the Wales extremism and counter-terrorism unit. The members include the chairs of our regional boards and also senior key representatives of other key partner organisations. Members will be pleased to know that the board commissioned a report on far-right extremism in Wales. They will be considering the findings of this report together with any recommendations from the commission at a future meeting. Despite the extensive work both across the Welsh Government and with our partners, we know that there is no room for complacency. The recent stories in the media about far-right extremism being present right on our doorstep illustrate the need to stay alert to the threat, and all Members, I think, mentioned that threat here today. We will continue to work with our partners and through our established structures to better understand and address these risks.

Turning to amendment 2, although we question whether it’s a priority for the UK Government, the Welsh Government welcomes any action to tackle modern slavery, to defend freedom of religion or belief, to end inequality and discrimination, and to promote democracy. For this reason, we also support amendment 2.

We strongly encourage the UK Government to step up its efforts in all these areas, as there is clearly far more to be done to truly prove it is a priority for the UK Government. In terms of the issues raised, Leanne Wood said quite a lot that I—. Well, actually, everything she said I completely agree with, but there’s quite a lot that we're already doing, and I’ll be sure to update Members about the outcome of the board and it’s commissioned response to far-right extremism. That was mentioned by a lot of Members today, so I’ll be sure to make sure that Members are fully informed on that as it develops.

I was delighted to hear Mark Isherwood and Darren Millar’s strong support of human rights, despite the fact that the abolition of the Human Rights Act 1998 has featured in two Queen’s Speeches. I think it does demonstrate that politics is different here in Wales, and I was delighted to see that support. If only the UK Government would go as far as the Welsh Conservatives have felt able to do, we would all be much better off.

Many Members—Julie Morgan, Helen Mary Jones, Joyce Watson, Caroline Jones and Rhianon Passmore—all mentioned what happens when human rights are ignored, and I think I can do no better than to quote the Counsel General’s speech at the Eileen Illtyd memorial lecture. He said that human rights should be seen as the practical, the basic, the mundane even, rather than be limited, or imposed, or alien. We need a response that portrays human rights as the mundane tools of justice in

‘“small places, close to home”, not the liberal pronouncements of distant marble halls’.

I think all Members today, Deputy Presiding Officer, have underlined the need for us to understand that human rights are basic rights, basic needs that we all have, not something to be used as a weapon, but rather as a shield and a right to dignity and responsibility. I’m so pleased that we’ve had this debate today, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I thank all the Members for participating so freely. Diolch.

Thank you.

The proposal is to agree amendment 1. Does any Member object? Therefore, amendment 1 is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Amendment agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

The proposal is to agree amendment 2. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Okay. So, we defer voting under this item until voting time.

Voting deferred until voting time.