The Violence Against Women (Wales) Bill

On 10th March – two days after International Women’s Day – Assembly Members unanimously voted to pass the Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence (Wales) Bill into law. Hailed as a ‘groundbreaking’ piece of ‘landmark legislation’ and proof of Wales ‘leading the way’, the Bill was broadly welcomed by women’s organisations and activists, whose tireless campaigning significantly influenced both its existence and content. As with all campaigns, however, it certainly wasn’t without its difficulties. This article focuses on a key debate that occurred in the final hour of the campaign, in which a party-political standoff regarding education nearly resulted in the opposition voting the Bill down and deeply troubling comments were made by some Assembly Members regarding women’s charities. I argue that this controversy is emblematic of broader problems regarding sexism, silencing, attempts to depoliticize the third sector and to derail attention from the very issue that the Bill set out to tackle: the shocking prevalence of violence against women in Wales.