Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 2:00 pm on 1 March 2023.
I'd like to thank my colleague Rhys for raising such an important question. Minister, I recently listened to a Safer Communities podcast with the Prevent community engagement officer for Cardiff Council where incel ideology was brought up. Worryingly, common incel themes of self-loathing and grievance are more often than not transformed into misogynistic violence and the degradation of women, and are linked to perceived inadequacies in forming sexual relationships. I'm sure you're aware that this ideology is particularly fuelled by extremely low self-esteem, isolation, anxiety, and issues surrounding body image, which are exacerbated by mainstream media programmes such as Love Island, which reinforce the incel belief that women are hard-wired to automatically reject them because they do not have similar muscular physiques. In terms of community safety, incels are a credible threat to communities in the UK. There was a recent Plymouth shooting by incel member Jake Davison, and others have been arrested in connection with terrorist offences connected to incel involvement. Minister, what assessment has this Government made of the incel movement in Wales? What conversations have you had with the Minister for Education and Welsh Language regarding the need to help promote better body image in Welsh schools and to implement action to help young people become more resilient with issues surrounding body image? Thank you.