Joyce Watson MS’s Mid Wales Journal column

I was honoured to be invited to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for a violence against women conference hosted by Her Royal Highness The Queen Consort.

It is the first major reception Her Royal Highness The Queen Consort has hosted, so it is significant that she has chosen to speak out on this issue during the United Nations’ 16 days of Activism against gender-based violence.

I attended a similar event with her a few years ago – Her Royal Highness The Queen Consort began this work in 2009 and vowed, upon her husband’s accession, that she would continue to raise awareness about rape, domestic abuse, and violence against women.

Among the guests were royalty and politicians, dignitaries – including broadcast journalists Fiona Bruce, Emma Barnett and Lorraine Kelly – and experts. The most important guests were the survivors and their families.

Over the past few weeks I have hosted and attended events around Wales to highlight gender-based violence, working alongside the National Federation of Women’s Institutes-Wales to recruit support for the White Ribbon campaign, which asks men to never use, excuse or remain silent about violence against women.

In the last year alone, ten women in Wales were killed by a man, or a man was the main suspect in their deaths. Killing is the most extreme form of violence, yet all around us – in homes, workplaces, schools and on the street – women and girls are subjected to harassment, threats and coercion. This epidemic must end.

At the Senedd on Wednesday I asked the rural affairs minister about the Animal Welfare Plan for Wales. Launched this time last year, the 5-year strategy aims to improve the quality of life for all animals in Wales. I highlighted the use of breeding cages for game birds, as well as the consultation on CCTV in slaughterhouses, which opened last month. You can submit your views until 6 February 2023.

On the topic of consultations, the Welsh Government also wants to hear from you about how to make school uniforms more affordable. Options on the table include scrapping school branding altogether and using free-of-charge iron-on logos. You can have your say on these proposals – and other issues – at: https://gov.wales/consultations