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Proposals to introduce a law to combat violence against women and domestic violence have been dubbed “sexist and institutionally abusive” – because they don’t address male victims, a campaign group has claimed.

Healing Men, which campaigns to correct perceived injustices suffered by men, said the Welsh Government would violate its own duty for gender equality if they proceeded with plans because it specifies protection for women, rather than gender-neutral proposals.

The Welsh Government is due to introduce the Ending Violence against Women and Domestic Abuse Bill by June.

The umbrella organisation representing women’s aid groups in Wales, Welsh Women’s Aid, said the Bill was needed to support high levels of gender-based violence.

But the author of an Assembly petition which has garnered more than 200 signatures, Tony Stott from Healing Men, said the legislation should not focus solely on women, but open it up to support men and children who also suffer abuse.

Mr Stott said: “There has been absolutely no advice or feedback or response from the Welsh Government what their priorities are connected with this legislation, but the ‘party line’ has been that these measures are because women are greater victims of violence than men. In fact, there is a huge body of evidence to say that is not true.”

He added: “The Welsh Government is in position of power and control proposes to exercise its power and control by enshrining the discrimination and abuse inherent in gendered politics into law. This will have predictable and far-reaching consequences and is in clear breach of its gender equality duty and is institutionally abusive to boys.”

Welsh Women’s Aid said the Bill was not about violence in general, but was a piece of legislation aimed at addressing the “worrying levels of gender-based violence in Wales”. Chief executive of Welsh Women’s Aid Paula Hardy said: “Over 80% of domestic violence victims and 90% of rape victims are women – we desperately need to address the fact that women are suffering more from these crimes.

“This does not in any way take away from the excellent services being provided for men in Wales, which we fully support and work alongside.

“The proposed new Bill is simply trying to address women’s disproportionate suffering from these terrible types of violence.”

A Welsh Government spokeswoman said it was committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse, adding: “This is set out in both the Welsh Government’s ‘Right to be Safe Strategy’ and the White Paper proposals for legislation in this area.

“In Wales, like the rest of the world, women and girls are disproportionately affected by all forms of intimate violence. The policy and legislative proposals set out in our White Paper would therefore impact predominantly on women and girls, but are also designed to support men.”