Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank Bethan for bringing forward this proposed legislation, and I want to say at the outset that I fully support her in this. Like Bethan, I met Mayameen when she came to the Senedd to present her petition, calling for the provision of child houses in Wales for victims of child sexual abuse. I spent time with Mayameen as she informed a couple of us of her harrowing tale of abuse by her father. Her bravery and strength of spirit shone through. I can safely say that she is one of the most inspirational persons I have ever had the pleasure to meet. 

Mayameen did not want other child victims to suffer from the same lack of basic support that she had suffered. And she said a child suffering any form of abuse should not be returned to that same environment once they have made that complaint and it has become known by certain services. 

By adopting the Barnahus model, it is not necessarily about the creation of multiple safe houses, but recognising that we are failing to provide any basic provision for child victims of sexual abuse. The model has been so successful around the world and in other parts of the UK that it has been widely adopted as the preferred model by experts in child protection. Wales needs to adopt this model to ensure that children who are suffering child abuse will have somewhere to escape. Without Barnahus, they will be returned back home, back into the arms of their abuser, just like we did to Mayameen.

Mayameen has spoken out so that others don't suffer like she did as a child. We owe it to her and countless other victims of child sexual abuse to listen. Communication and teamwork between agencies such as social services and police are of paramount importance in these cases. This proposal answers those calls and I urge Members to support it and to pass this legislation as soon as we can. Diolch yn fawr.