Conservatives rejected sexual harassment training

The Conservatives were the only Senedd party group to refuse an offer of training on sexism and sexual harassment.

A spokesperson for the Tory Senedd leader at the time, Andrew RT Davies, has said it was "left to the discretion of the individual" to take up training opportunities.

A spokesperson for current leader Darren Millar said the party "takes the issue of gender-based violence extremely seriously" and a session for group members is now "being scheduled".

Undertaking the training was a recommendation from the Senedd's cross-party equality committee.

Last year the Senedd's Equality and Social Justice Committee published a report entitled "How we must all play our part: a public health approach to halting the epidemic in gender-based violence".

One of its recommendations called for Members of the Senedd to commit to undertaking training on preventing gender-based violence (GBV) by the end of 2024.

The Senedd Commission - which runs the institution from day to day - agreed to arrange the training by an outside organisation in autumn 2024, covering in particular three areas highlighted by the committee.

These were:

• increased awareness and understanding of what constitutes GBV;
• improved bystander intervention skills which equip individuals with the skills to identify signs of potential GBV situations and intervene safely and effectively; and
• cultural competence: understanding the complexities of addressing GBV within diverse cultural contexts.

The course developed by Bristol-based company Kindling Intervention on behalf of the Senedd Commission was "developed and tailored specifically to focus on noticing and intervening in sexism, gender stereotyping, gendered microaggressions, sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence against women and girls".

"Due to the participants being at senior leadership level, the training will also be further developed specifically to focus on leadership, privilege and power."

Senedd chief executive Manon Antoniazzi told equality committee chair Jenny Rathbone in a letter that the Welsh Parliament's member learning and engagement team "have extensive experience of working with party groups to provide training for members and recognise that there is a distinct preference for training within those groups on topics of particular sensitivity, such as this".

"Timetabling training for members also proves to be a challenge and so party group buy-in is sought to ensure optimum member attendance to the training on offer."

However, she adds, "having approached all party groups, two party groups took up the opportunity to take up this training in the autumn term of 2024".

"The third party group were unfortunately unable to afford the time/capacity to dedicate to this topic."

Twenty two members from the Labour and Plaid Cymru groups took up the training offer, representing 37% of all members.

A Welsh Conservative Senedd spokesperson told the BBC, "The Welsh Conservative Senedd group takes the issue of gender-based violence extremely seriously".

"We undertake regular training and continuing professional development sessions on a range of issues, and a session for group members on gender-based violence is being scheduled."

A spokesperson for former leader Andrew RT Davies said: "Members and staff are offered a range of training courses."

"Under Andrew's leadership, it was left to the discretion of the individual whether or not they chose to take up those training opportunities."

Equality committee chair, Labour MS Jenny Rathbone, said at the time of the report's publication that "two women a week are killed by a former or current partner in England and Wales".

"A third of women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.

"Due to under-reporting, it is likely that official figures underestimate the true scale of this shocking problem.

"Each victim of this epidemic is a victim too many.

"To end it, we must all play our part – especially men and boys – by tackling the root causes."