1. What actions is the Welsh Government taking to tackle online abuse of women in public life? OAQ53660

I thank Joyce Watson for that question. The online abuse of women in public life is wholly unacceptable and detrimental to our diversity and democracy programme. The UK Government must hold service providers to account for unacceptable abuse in public life. 

There was a recent review by the independent Committee on Standards in Public Life and they found that female politicians are disproportionately the targets of online intimidation. In 2017, there was a study by Amnesty International and it found that women politicians and journalists from across the UK and America have abuse every 30 seconds on Twitter. Under current regulations, it's not a crime to target someone because of their gender. With online abuse of women so rife, I'm really concerned about how we're going to encourage more women into public life in such a hostile environment. And I want to call this out for what it is: it is absolute cowardice and it is people hiding behind their keyboards to exact that on individuals.

So, Deputy Minister, what discussions has the Welsh Government had with social media companies like Facebook and Twitter on how they're tackling this very serious issue? And will you issue a statement that clearly and substantially makes it clear that this behaviour is completely unacceptable?

Again, I thank Joyce Watson for this very important question. It's critical that we hold social media platforms to account, and the Welsh Government is fully supportive of introducing those clear and consistent standards that we need across social media platforms to improve user safety.

The Welsh Government is officially represented on the UK Council for Internet Safety, allowing us to influence policy decisions taken at a UK Government level. The internet, of course, is a non-devolved issue, so ensuring that Wales is represented at a UK Government level is absolutely critical, but I am very happy to make a statement on this very important point. In order to do that, I am writing to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright, to ask him for what engagement he has had with social media providers about the online abuse of women in public life. But also, it is very clear that we have evidence and we have very useful support as well, for example, from the Electoral Reform Society's 'New Voices' report. Their recommendation about social media and the development of our political parties' joint code of conduct on intimidatory behaviour, online abuse is the thin end of the wedge, and reports show that it is gendered and reflects the same kind of gender inequalities in the off-line world. So, again, diversity and democracy, we want to address this in terms of women in public life.

I've no doubt in my mind that the trolling of women on social media is an epidemic and that it's getting worse. I've got my own personal experience of this, and I make a point of standing up to that abuse whenever I receive it, and when I see other women receiving it as well because we can't afford to let the bullies win.

At a conference called Slaying the Trolls that I attended towards the end of last year, we heard about the findings of research undertaken by the Open University and Stirling University, which found that the risk of young women aged between 18 and 29 of becoming a target of threatening and offensive advances on the internet is twice as high as the risk for women aged between 40 and 49, and more than three times as high as the risk for women aged between 50 and 59. I ask myself what this is all doing in terms of putting women off from using their voices.

The team made a few recommendations, including the recognition that online violence and threats against women should be classed as a form of gender-based abuse of women and girls. I support this. Does the Government agree, and if you do, can you tell us, please, what you're going to do about it?

Thank you again, Leanne Wood, not only for the account of your experience, as I'm sure we can across this Chamber, in terms of online abuse of women, we cannot afford to let the bullies win, as you say, and thank you as well for the further evidence you have given. That will be very important in terms of the statement that I wish to make and the representations that I am making to the UK Government in terms of their responsibilities.

It's also very important that we look to the 'Protecting the Debate: Intimidation, Influence, and Information' consultation that took place. In fact, we did respond to that as a Welsh Government, and I'd just like to report from what my predecessor, Alun Davies, said in his response to Chloe Smith, the Minister for the Constitution, when he said, 'The Welsh Government shares the overall position that threatening behaviour towards both candidates and holders of public office is intolerable, as is the intimidation of voters, and we support transparency in digital election campaigning.'

This has clearly now got to focus on the gendered impact of this in terms of the online abuse of women, and I'm grateful that this question has been raised this afternoon, so that we as a Welsh Government can not only make a statement, but make a very clear statement from Members across this Chamber in terms of this point.