January 2023 Issue
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The Value of Women’s Safety 1
The hidden impact of the cost-of-living crisis
Street art tackling the climate crisis one bus stop at a time
Various activists are using street art to raise awareness of climate concerns and its impact on the cost of living
Numerous bus stop adverts have been graffitied across Cardiff in order to change their meaning to draw attention to the climate crisis in the last few weeks.
Dotted around the city, bus stops featuring ads for well-known companies, such as McDonalds and Kellogg’s, have been reclaimed by new artwork which has alters the messaging of the ads.
This has been done to draw attention to the current economic and environmental challenges that the UK faces, according to one of the activists responsible for the provocative street art.Working with Extinction Rebellion, activist Chris Smith (not his real name), believes that mega corporations have all the power and are abusing the world’s resources. This is leading to a poorer way of life for us all.
He says the inspiration for the artwork is, “That every single person in our community should be able to dream.“Our streets are littered with further pollution,” he added, saying he believed that the adverts that promote fast food and fashion are a part of the same system that keeps us poor.“It’s hard to dream these days because we have huge pressures in our dayto-day life,” said the artist.
“People need to know where their local food bank is, not where the nearest McDonald’s is.”The current financial crisis facing the country has been connected to the climate crisis. The use of fossil fuels has meant rising energy prices are effecting millions of people across the country.“The biggest lie we are told is that we can’t do anything to change the current crisis,” Smith said when explaining the message behind one of the graffitied bus stops.He added that the clearest way to take action is on the streets and that it’s all about reclaiming these public spaces.
Turning loneliess to creativity
Around 64% of people said they were worried that the rising cost of living will meaningfully impact their social life this winter, resulting in them feeling lonely, according to a study by The Cares Family.
Ian Wyatt, who has run card-making classes since 2009 in Aberbargoed, said that many of his customers have booked their classes months in advance in order to have something to look forward to.
Super Sandwich Spot
The takeaway restaurant, Fresh, has recently been recognised by TripAdvisor for its highly popular sandwich baguettes. The baguette bar has been named in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. This was partly due to a large number of 5-star reviews online from customers.
Co-owner of the baguette business based in Royal Arcade, Gareth Lawton, thanked their consistent and loyal customers for being able to reach the top 10% of restaurants worldwide. “I never ask customers to leave reviews,” he said, “which makes it feel 100% more special to us all here.”
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Credit: Manon Jones
With an increase of reported hate crimes in Wales, Ronald Manda opens up about his experience identifying as black and LGBTQ+ in the Welsh capital
Originally from Malawi, 22-year-old Ronald Manda (pictured) moved to Cardiff three years ago to study at university, and now at sees Cardiff as his new home. Identifying as black and LGBTQ+ Ronald recognises that he is a minority within the city and says his journey to happiness in the city was challenging at times.
He said “Politics circulates every single aspect of my life. I’m black, I’m gay and I’m not from the United Kingdom, I’m a minority within a minority basically.”
Recent Home Office statistics show there has been over a 35% increase in the amount of hate crimes that have been reported in the United Kingdom in 2021-22, compared to the previous year. Hate crimes are driven by an individual’s race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation and this is something that Ronald said he has always had to be aware of.
The number of hate crimes that were specifically fuelled by sexual orientation have risen by 50% in the last year. Ronald said, “My hometown in Malawi was very homophobic with a lot of anti-homosexual laws, this meant that minority groups were really frowned upon. I went through a lot in high school being the only openly gay student there, a lot of bullying, it was a lot.”
Ronald said that he does feel safe when walking the streets of Cardiff whether it’s day or night. However, he says he knows he may not feel the same in other bigger cities.
“I do try my hardest to stay out of trouble,” he says. “On nights out with my friends in Cardiff, I do find myself watching what and how much I’m drinking and even who I’m talking to.” Staying far away from altercations and fights is something Ronald also said he will do in order to keep himself safe when he is out in bars and nightclubs.
“I do have to tone myself down sometimes,” he says. He adds that he understands that the implications for him could be different to his fellow white friends if he was to find himself in trouble, and that’s why he finds himself being extra careful and hyper-aware of his surroundings.
When discussing the possibility of Ronald finally being able to visit Malawi again after over three years and how that would feel for him, he said, “next time I visit home, I’ll be going home a different person, maybe I look the same and my hair hasn’t changed, but on the inside, I’ve changed so much.”
‘Politics circulates every single aspect of my life’, says Malawi native living in Cathays
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“I knew it would be this hard, but not this hard”Credit: Manon Jones
The hidden impact of the cost of living crisis of women’s safety
Welsh Women’s Aid joins a coalition of women’s safety organisations that are concerned for women’s safety during the costof-living crisis
Credit: Miguel Dominquez Source: Unsplash
Women are more vulnerable to the negative impacts of the cost-ofliving crisis, according to a recent report. This places women who are in unsafe relationships even higher at risk.
On 17 November 2022, Welsh Women’s Aid and multiple other women’s safety organisations from across the UK, formed a joint statement stating that the cost-ofliving crisis is impacting women unequally, especially women who are impacted by abuse.
This statement calling on the government for urgent action has been signed by 80 organisations. These include End Violence Against Women, Rape Crisis England & Wales, and Respect. The coalition of women’s organisations state that the current crisis is placing women at a greater risk of violence and abuse, which will have a devastating impact.
Calling on the British government for urgent action, Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition said many of these risks to women that are facing abuse could have been foreseen and therefore prevented.She added this situation is strikingly similar to the Covid-19 pandemic which left women in troubling situations.
strain on unhealthy relationships. As bills and prices rise, for some individuals this means less money to spend on socialising outside of their homes and away from the danger of their abusers.
“I have felt more isolated as I already cannot leave the home without permission. Not being able to afford activities means that I cannot leave at all,” said an anonymous victim in Women’s Aid’s recent report on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on survivors of domestic abuse.
This high demand for services has continued following the pandemic. The Live Fear Free Helpline which is available for women experiencing violence has seen an increase already since last year.
The total number of contacts for the Live Fear Free Helpline in 2021/22 was 35,536, which is an 18% increase since 2020/21, where there was 30,063 contacts.
Financial Worries
The cost-of-living crisis has already had a negative impact on women’s safety. It has impacted women’s ability to relocate to safe accommodation, the price of legal support and advice has also increased significantly.
During the pandemic the average call duration made to Welsh Women’s Aid doubled, and there was an 80% increase in crisis calls since March 2020. The reason for this was pointed towards the increased time spent at home. During the pandemic women were involuntarily having to spend more time stuck within their homes. Many organisations fear a similar situation will unfold because of the cost-of-living crisis. During this period pressures will be high in many people’s lives and homes, creating added
As women’s incomes are squeezed, the choice between eating and heating becomes a devastating reality. According to The Bevan Foundation, 57% of women are cutting back on heating, and 39% are cutting back on food for themselves in order to feed their children. This makes the idea of leaving an unhealthy relationship even harder to imagine.
Women’s Aid research discovered that almost 73% of women have financial links with their abuser which means they do not have their own financial freedom and are not financially stable enough to support themselves to leave their abusers.
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“During the pandemic the average call duration made to Welsh Women’s Aid doubled”
An anonymous survivor of domestic abuse shared in a Women’s Aid case study said: “[The abuser] refused to pay for anything so I had to pay for the household myself and get into debt while he bought himself expensive things.” The research also uncovered that the financial implications of the cost-of-living crisis has prevented women from leaving their unsafe relationships and abusers.
Tomos Evans, who works for Chwarae Teg, a charity that focuses on gender equality in Wales, says that women are currently being affected by the costof-living crisis in multiple ways. “The cost-of-living crisis is a pinch-point for women”, Evans says. The stresses and responsibility of childcare, managing budgets, and expectation to work longer hours to deal with the rise of costs is being placed on women, he explained. Chwarae Teg is calling on the government for intervention to ensure that the people who need the support are getting it and will continue to.
They are asking Welsh government to develop their actions to support women through using equality mainstreaming tools to ensure that support is responsive to women’s needs specifically. “Women’s needs need to be considered
Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence experienced by women. It highlighted that financial situations and poverty was a key factor that left them trapped within abusive relationships. Delays in financial support and cuts to welfare grants increasingly restricted them from rebuilding their lives.
Where to go if you need support;
Cardiff Women’s Aid - 029 2046 0566
Live Fear Free Helpline - 0808 80 10 800
24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline0808 2000 247
RISE Cardiff (24 hour helpline) - 02920 460566
Moving Forward
in the government’s plans. Gender isn’t always considered”, he said. Evans said any action to support women from the government would be welcomed. He added that accessible help was vitally important. Especially for women who are juggling many things such as working, child care and seeking help confidentially.
The Welsh Women’s Aid ‘cheques and balances’ report in 2021 explored the significant connection between poverty, gender inequality and Violence
The vulnerability of women in unsafe relationships and homes makes it increasingly difficult to collect data. “The government doesn’t make decisions based on anecdotes”, said Evans when discussing why the correct support from the Welsh government hadn’t been put into action yet. Data and statistics is what gains the government’s attention. Without data, a few survivors’ testimonies about how their situations worsened during the rise of costs isn’t enough for the Welsh government, said Evans. Chwarae Teg are calling on the Welsh government to ensure that disaggregated cost of living data for Wales is regularly available to understand the impact on different groups.
Having this data available would highlight how women are disproportionately impacted by the current cost-of-living crisis, and how this impacts other aspects of their lives such as safety and domestic violence.
The reality for vulnerable women is only set to continue, according to Welsh Women’s Aid and the impact of the cost-ofliving crisis is creating the ‘perfect storm’.
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“The cost-of-living crisis is a pinch-point for women”