The Cross Party Group hosted the Commission on a Bill of Rights. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about the issues that the Commission is considering, and to discuss the ramifications for Wales. A transcript of the meeting can be found here.

The next meeting of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights will take place at 6pm on Monday 31st October. The focus of the event will be the Commission on the Bill of Rights, established by the UK Government to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights. The Chair of the Commission, Sir Leigh Lewis, will outline the key questions facing the Commission and will be very keen to hear the views of attendees, in particular on how any potential changes may impact in Wales.

Attendance is open to all, but please let us know if you can attend.

6pm, 31ain Hydref, Ty Hywel

Bydd cyfarfod nesaf y Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Hawliau Dynol am 6 o’r gloch ar Ddydd Llun, 31ain o Hydref. Testun y cyfarfod bydd y Comisiwn ar Ddeddf Hawliau, a sefydlwyd gan Lywodraeth y DU i ymchwilio i Ddeddf Hawliau. Bydd Cadeirydd y Comisiwn, Sir Leigh Lewis, yn amlinellu’r cwestiynau penodol sydd yn wynebu’r Comisiwn a fydd yn awchus i wrando ar ein barn, yn enwedig ar effaith unrhyw newidiadau yma yng Nghymru.

• The prevalence of forced marriage and honour based violence
• The Forced Marriage (civil protection) Act 2007
• A glimpse into a survivors journey, looking at how professionals can empower victims to come forward

Places can be booked by e-mailing n.rattu@karmanirvana.org.uk. For more information please telephone: 0113 2180114 or go to the Karma Nirvana website: www.karmanirvana.org.

Wyre Davies is a Welsh journalist and the currentMiddle Eastcorrespondent for BBC News.  He has covered the 2011 Egyptian protests from withinTahrir Square, has been on the ground inLibya, has reported from the Jordanian-Syrian border and is currently based inJerusalem.

Please RSVP to Naomi Blight on naomiblight@wcia.org.uk as soon as possible to secure your place.

We are very pleased to invite you to the next meeting of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights. We have worked together across the Assembly and with a number of external organisations over the last 2 years, focusing on human rights in Wales. Our aim is to focus on making a real difference in those areas where the responsibility for action is devolved, though we have also used the meetings to discuss broader UKand international human rights issues. You can find out more about the work that we have done at www.cpghr.com and by following us on twitter @cpghr.

We have provisionally booked the next meeting to be at 6pmon Wednesday 29^th June, and have invited the Equality and Human Rights Commission to present to us on their forthcoming Human Rights Review. This area of work will focus on how the Welsh Government and other public bodies inWales ensure they protect and promote human rights in delivering services inWales. They are very keen to hear from key stakeholders where there are areas of concern, and also areas of best practice. They are seeking feedback – ideas and suggestions – and also case studies, to paint a picture of human rights inWales.

We would also be very happy to hear from you about any potential issues you would like us to discuss and take action on.

Ty Hywel, 6 o.g., 29 Mehefin

Mae’n bleser i’ch gwahodd i gyfarfod nesaf y Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Hawliau Dynol. Rydym wedi cyd weithio ar draws y Cynulliad a gyda nifer o sefydliadau allanol dros y 2 blynedd diwethaf, i droi chwyddwyd ar hawliau dynol yng Nghymru. Ein ffocws sylfaenol yw gwneud gwahaniaeth yn yr ardaloedd datganoledig, ond rydym hefyd wedi trafod testunau rhyngwladol ac ynglŷn â’r Deyrnas Unedig. Gellir darganfod mwy am y gwaith rydym wedi cwblhau wrth ymweld a www.cpghr.com ac @cpghr ar twitter.

Rydym wedi trefnu’r cyfarfod nesaf am 6 o.g ar Ddydd Mercher 29ain Mehefin, ac rydym wedi gwahodd i’r Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol i drafod Adolygiad Hawliau Dynol maent yn paratoi. Bydd yr adroddiad yn edrych ar sut mae’r Llywodraeth Cymraeg a chyrff cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn sicrhau eu bod yn diogelu a hyrwyddo hawliau dynol wrth ddarparu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru. Mae’r Comisiwn yn awyddus iawn i glywed oddi wrth sefydliadau yma am ardaloedd o bryder, ond hefyd am ymarfer da. Maent yn ymofyn am adborth – syniadau ac awgrymiadau – a hefyd achosion go iawn, i fraslunio hawliau dynol yng Nghymru.

Byddwn hefyd yn hapus iawn i drafod unrhyw faterion addas rydych chi yn ystyried bydd o ddiddordeb i’r Grŵp.

The minutes of the latest meeting are now available to download here.

Mae cofnodion y cyfarfod diweddaraf ar gael i’w lawrlwythio yma.

You can read a summary of the internal investigation into the concerns raised by Louise Perrett regarding treatment of asylum seekers in the UKBA Cardiff office here.

The CPGHR is likley to discuss these issues again at the next meeting on 6th October. In the meantime, we will be following up how the serious concerns expressed will lead to better treatment of asylum seekers in Cardiff.

Please get in touch if you would like to share your experiences.

We have ensured that there is more work planned on attitudes towards violence against women and that public policy extends further than domestic violence, but also considers sexual assault, trafficking, forced marriage, FGM and other forms of violence. Looking back now, however, one area of work we overlooked was the violence faced by sex workers.

For that reason, I was very pleased to be hear Tracey Sagar, a lecturer from Swansea University, speaking at the Cross Party Group on Human Rights. She and her team have secured funding to undertake an in-depth mapping exercise of the sex trade in Wales, looking at the nature of the industry in all its forms – on and off street, internet-based, trafficking, male and transgender sex work, and the services available. I have undertaken some work in this area, and I know that the industry is very extensive. But Tracey’s presentation was shocking

She then introduced us to some of her early findings on research amongst on street sex workers in Cardiff and talked to us about the violence suffered by these women. Most of the women she interviewed who were working on the streets of Cardiff were single mums who lived in the community within which they worked. Extreme poverty plays a major role in their decision to sell sex. A majority, though not all, were addicted to crack or heroin. Most had no form of family or other support system.

The majority had been violently assaulted. Over half of them spoke of how they had been attacked several times. Some had been raped at knife-point. One had been attacked with a rock to the head. One had been punched repeatedly. Most had been attacked by ‘punters’ but some also had been hit by stones and bricks thrown by members of the community. None had reported the crimes to the police – they did not feel that there would be a response.

Though there has been some new thinking in Cardiff recently, with the Street Life project attempting to provide some outreach services, and a new network of sex projects with police involvement, there is clearly more to be done in terms of community cohesion, community safety and violence against women strategies to provide greater safeguards to women who for whatever reason find themselves selling sex on the streets.

Lets remember than selling sex is not illegal – so why is it that women who suffer violence are seen as undeserving of protection?

You can read Tracey’s presentation at cpghr.com

Cathy Owens, Amnesty International