English: I'm very pleased to speak in this debate, which I think takes place annually, on the report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, 'Towards a Fairer Wales'. I'd like to start by paying tribute to Ann Beynon, who's been the chair during a very important time, and I'd like to acknowledge her commitment to equality and to human rights, and to welcome June Milligan as the new commissioner. But I'd also like to use the opportunity to pay tribute in this debate to Kate Bennett, who is shortly to retire as the director at the end of this month. Kate is a constituent of mine in Cardiff North, and has been in the post since 2007, and I think has helped hugely in forging a close relationship with the Welsh Government and with all of us as Assembly Members, and has been very approachable and very proactive. So, I'd like to pay tribute to Kate as well. I think the work of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has had considerable impact in Wales and on the work of the Welsh Government, and, as I say, a very good close working relationship has been built up. I think the publication of reports like 'Is Wales Fairer?' provides a snapshot of how far we've come in Wales during the last five years in terms of equality, which is very good for the Government to use as a measure for its activities. And, I just want to say, I think never have we needed the voices of the Equality and Human Rights Commission as much as we need them at the moment. With the advent of Brexit, when we know the feelings that have been stirred up amongst many people in local communities, we need people to speak up for their human rights, and, of course, as previous speakers have already said very strongly, the threats to the human rights Act. So, this is a time when we need the need the Equality and Human Rights Commission as never before. In their report, they do highlight some areas of improvement and some areas where we've still got quite a way to go, and I welcome the fact that they report reduced hostility towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people, but I'm concerned that they say that, generally, young people are faring less well in terms of employment, pay and housing than five years ago. So, I hope that the Welsh Government will take note of that - and other public authorities - and that we use that to inform policy making. One of the challenges that the Equality and Human Rights Commission highlight is to improve democratic representation, and I think this is absolutely crucial, because I think, as policy makers, if we don't reflect the communities that are out there, the laws that we make are going to be diminished. I'm pleased to say that in the local government elections that are coming up in Cardiff North, in my constituency, we have two 18-year-olds standing for election, so I'm very pleased about that. Also, the candidates who were chosen were half men and half women, which, again, I think is a great step forward, as, of course, in this Chamber, on the Government side, we have half men and half women as representatives, basically, which I think is a great achievement. I think it does actually depend on the initiative of the local political parties to ensure that you do get good representation and you do need, sometimes, in difficult circumstances, to make sure that we speak up for equality and for trying to get representative bodies. So, I think that there is progress going on in terms of democratic representation. I also wanted to highlight issues particularly relevant for young women and girls, and I was very pleased to sponsor the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child event, which was championing girls' rights, in the Senedd in October. What this event did highlight is that there are still problems faced by girls in Wales in terms of inequality and sexism. The young women who spoke were absolutely inspiring in their very positive attitudes, but also revealing how much inequality they do feel that they face in their everyday lives. They said that in school, they felt that they weren't allowed to play football, the teachers thought they weren't as good as boys at maths - all the sorts of things that we know tend to happen and that we have to work very hard against to try to ensure that there is a more equal society. I know the Government recognises that very strongly in terms of choice of subjects in school - the STEM subjects, where more boys than girls choose those subjects - and so it's very important that we keep on with that message. Because with inequalities and gender discrimination, it's very important that that is tackled very early on.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch iawn i gael siarad yn y ddadl hon, rwy'n credu sy'n cael ei chynnal bob blwyddyn, ynglŷn â'r adroddiad gan y Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol, 'Tuag at Gymru Decach'. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy dalu teyrnged i Ann Beynon, sydd wedi bod yn gadeirydd yn ystod cyfnod pwysig iawn, a hoffwn gydnabod ei hymrwymiad i gydraddoldeb a hawliau dynol, a chroesawu June Milligan fel y comisiynydd newydd. Ond hoffwn hefyd fanteisio ar y cyfle i dalu teyrnged yn y ddadl hon i Kate Bennett, sy'n mynd i ymddeol yn fuan fel cyfarwyddwr ddiwedd y mis hwn. Mae Kate yn etholwraig imi yng Ngogledd Caerdydd, ac mae hi wedi bod yn y swydd ers 2007, ac rwy'n credu ei bod wedi helpu'n aruthrol i adeiladu perthynas agos â Llywodraeth Cymru a chyda phob un ohonom fel Aelodau Cynulliad, ac mae wedi bod yn hawdd mynd ati ac yn rhagweithiol iawn. Felly, hoffwn dalu teyrnged i Kate hefyd. Rwy'n credu bod gwaith y Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol wedi cael effaith sylweddol yng Nghymru ac ar waith Llywodraeth Cymru, ac, fel y dywedais, mae perthynas waith agos a da iawn wedi'i datblygu. Rwy'n credu bod cyhoeddi adroddiadau megis 'A yw Cymru'n Decach?' yn rhoi ciplun o ba mor bell yr ydym wedi dod yng Nghymru yn ystod y pum mlynedd diwethaf o ran cydraddoldeb, sy'n ddeunyddiau da iawn i'r Llywodraeth eu defnyddio fel dull o fesur ei gweithgareddau. Ac, hoffwn ddweud, rwy'n credu nad ydym erioed wedi bod angen lleisiau'r Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol gymaint ag yr ydym eu hangen ar hyn o bryd. Gyda dyfodiad Brexit, o wybod beth yw'r teimladau sydd wedi'u hysgogi ymhlith llawer o bobl mewn cymunedau lleol, mae angen pobl arnom i siarad dros eu hawliau dynol, ac, wrth gwrs, fel y mae siaradwyr blaenorol eisoes wedi dweud yn angerddol iawn, y bygythiadau i'r Ddeddf hawliau dynol. Felly, mae hwn yn gyfnod pan fo angen y Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol arnom yn fwy nag erioed o'r blaen. Yn eu hadroddiad, maen nhw'n tynnu sylw at rai meysydd gwella a rhai meysydd lle mae gennym le i wella o hyd, ac rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith eu bod yn adrodd bod llai o elyniaeth tuag at bobl lesbiaidd, hoyw a deurywiol, ond rwy'n pryderu eu bod yn dweud, yn gyffredinol, fod pobl ifanc mewn sefyllfa lai ffafriol o ran cyflogaeth, tâl a thai nag oeddent bum mlynedd yn ôl. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru - ac awdurdodau cyhoeddus eraill - yn cymryd sylw o hynny a'n bod ni'n defnyddio hynny i lywio'r broses o lunio polisïau. Un o'r heriau y mae'r Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol yn ei hamlygu yw gwella cynrychiolaeth ddemocrataidd, ac rwy'n credu bod hyn yn gwbl hanfodol, oherwydd yn fy marn i, fel llunwyr polisi, os nad ydym ni'n adlewyrchu'r cymunedau sy'n bodoli, bydd y deddfau yr ydym ni'n eu creu yam fod yn llai effeithiol. Rwy'n falch o ddweud yn yr etholiadau llywodraeth leol sydd ar y gweill yng Ngogledd Caerdydd, yn fy etholaeth i, fod gennym ddau unigolyn 18 oed yn sefyll yn yr etholiad, felly rwy'n falch iawn o hynny. Hefyd, roedd hanner yr ymgeiswyr yn ddynion a hanner yn fenywod, sydd, eto, yn fy marn i yn gam mawr ymlaen, fel ag y mae, wrth gwrs, yn y Siambr hon, o ran y Llywodraeth, mae hanner y cynrychiolwyr sydd gennym yn ddynion a hanner yn fenywod, sy'n llwyddiant mawr, yn y bôn, yn fy marn i. Rwy'n credu ei bod mewn gwirionedd yn dibynnu ar fentergarwch y pleidiau gwleidyddol lleol i sicrhau bod cynrychiolaeth dda yn bodoli ac weithiau mae angen, mewn amgylchiadau anodd, sicrhau ein bod yn siarad dros gydraddoldeb ac yn ceisio sicrhau bod cyrff yn gynrychiadol. Felly, rwyf o'r farn bod cynnydd yn digwydd o ran cynrychiolaeth ddemocrataidd. Roeddwn i hefyd yn awyddus i dynnu sylw at faterion sy'n arbennig o berthnasol i fenywod ifanc a merched, ac roeddwn yn falch iawn o noddi digwyddiad Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Ferch y Cenhedloedd Unedig (the United Nations International Day of the Girl Child), yn y Senedd ym mis Hydref. Yr hyn a amlygwyd gan y digwyddiad hwn yw bod merched yng Nghymru yn dal i wynebu problemau o ran anghydraddoldeb a rhywiaeth. Roedd y merched ifanc a oedd yn siarad yn gwbl ysbrydoledig o ran eu hagweddau hynod gadarnhaol, ond hefyd o ran datgelu faint o anghydraddoldeb, yn eu barn nhw, y maen nhw'n ei wynebu yn eu bywydau bob dydd. Roedden nhw'n dweud, yn yr ysgol, eu bod yn teimlo nad oedden nhw'n cael chwarae pêl-droed yn yr ysgol, bod yr athrawon o'r farn nad oedden nhw cystal â bechgyn mewn mathemateg - yr holl bethau yr ydym yn gwybod sy'n dueddol o ddigwydd ac y mae'n rhaid inni weithio'n galed iawn yn eu herbyn i geisio sicrhau bod y gymdeithas yn fwy cyfartal. Gwn fod y Llywodraeth yn cydnabod hynny'n gryf iawn o ran y dewis o bynciau yn yr ysgol - y pynciau STEM, y mae mwy o fechgyn na merched yn dewis y pynciau hynny - ac felly mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n parhau i gyfleu'r neges honno. Oherwydd mae'n bwysig iawn yr eir i'r afael ag anghydraddoldeb a gwahaniaethu ar sail rhyw yn gynnar iawn.