Women's Refuges

Part of Questions to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip – in the Senedd at 2:33 pm on 15 December 2020.

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Photo of Angela Burns Angela Burns Conservative 2:33, 15 December 2020

Deputy Minister, a report from the National Rural Crime Network last year, highlighted by Welsh Women's Aid, found that, for victims of domestic violence in rural areas, and I'm going to quote directly here, 'barriers to action' are 

'far more complicated and inhibiting' in rural areas than in urban areas;

'in rural areas it seems likely victims do not know where to go to for the type of support required; it is harder to coordinate or access and the fear of any approaches becoming known is higher.'

Given that fewer survivors in rural settings disclose, services obviously will need to be based on need rather than demand, and it requires a deliberate strategy to ensure research, data and analysis are not skewed towards the urban demands and are fully inclusive of our rural communities. So, I just wondered, Deputy Minister, if you could outline what actions your Government has taken to redress this urban bias, and to ensure that the needs of rural victims of domestic violence are also fully addressed.