English: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. I thank the Deputy Minister for her statement today, and I thank her for the work that she's done so far, as well, on this. I fully support National Hate Crime Awareness Week, although I deeply regret that, in this day and age, we still need to have one. Hate crime is an increasing problem in our country, and sadly, Wales is no exception. Police forces in England and Wales recorded a 10 per cent increase in recorded hate crime incidents in 2018-19, and these increases were across the board: religious hate crime up 3 per cent, disability hate crime up 14 per cent, a 25 per cent increase in hate crime due to sexual orientation, and transgender hate crime up 37 per cent. While it's likely that these increases in hate crime have been driven by improvements in recording by police and a growing awareness of crime, there is no doubt that the problem is escalating. Do you agree, Deputy Minister, that we need further measures to crack down on hate crime in Wales? Although the vast majority of these crimes were based on race or religion, there are disturbing increases in offences against LGBT and disabled people. Nancy Kelley, chief executive of Stonewall, said that she didn't think the rise was just down to better reporting. She added that 80 per cent of LGBT people still don't report hate crimes. So, this is really just the tip of the iceberg. How can we convince people that they need to come forward and report incidents of hate crime? One of the key steps to take is to reassure victims that reporting hate crime is worthwhile. However, fewer people are being prosecuted for homophobic hate crimes, despite rising numbers of potential victims coming forward. Recorded reports of homophobic abuse in the UK increased from just under 6,000 in 2014-15 to over 13,000 in 2018-19, but during the same period, the number of prosecutions fell from 1,500 to just over 1,000 - from 20 per cent. Similarly, figures show that only four people were charged with a hate crime against disabled people in Wales last year, despite 268 complaints. I know that police forces in Wales take this matter very seriously. Gwent Police, for example, have a team of hate crime support officers who have received additional training to support victims, offer advice and signpost victims to other organisations that may be able to offer further support. Can you advise what discussions you've actually had with the police forces, the commissioners and others to tackle this problem of the low conviction rate for these crimes? What is disturbing, also, as you've outlined, Minister, is the increase in online hate crime. There has been a particularly steep increase in disabled hate crime online. The COVID-19 pandemic means that disabled people have been confined to their homes with only digital technology to keep them connected to the outside world. So, it is worrying that disabled people should be victims of online hate crime. What measures will you take to tackle this online abuse, Minister? I welcome the fact that you're in joint working with Cardiff University on this and I would like to hear a bit more about it, if possible. No person in Wales should have to tolerate prejudice or hate crime. I welcome the statement today and Welsh Government's commitment to making sure that all victims of hate crime are supported and that perpetrators are held to account. I urge people, also, to get involved with this week's online events. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd dros dro. Rwy'n diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei datganiad heddiw, ac yn diolch iddi am y gwaith a wnaeth hyd yn hyn hefyd, ynglŷn â hyn. Rwy'n llwyr gefnogi'r Wythnos Genedlaethol Ymwybyddiaeth o Droseddau Casineb, er fy mod i'n gresynu'n fawr fod angen hynny arnom yn yr oes bresennol. Mae troseddau casineb yn broblem gynyddol yn ein gwlad, ac yn anffodus, nid yw Cymru'n eithriad i hynny. Roedd heddluoedd yng Nghymru a Lloegr wedi cofnodi cynnydd o 10 y cant mewn achosion o droseddau casineb yn 2018-19, fel yr amlinellwyd gennych. Roedd y cynnydd hwn yn gyffredinol: cynnydd o 3 y cant mewn troseddau casineb crefyddol, troseddau casineb anabledd yn cynyddu 14 y cant, cynnydd o 25 y cant mewn troseddau casineb oherwydd cyfeiriadedd rhywiol, a throseddau casineb trawsryweddol wedi cynyddu 37 y cant. Er ei bod yn debygol fod y cynnydd mewn troseddau casineb yn deillio o welliannau o ran cofnodi gan yr heddlu, ac mae yna ymwybyddiaeth gynyddol o droseddau casineb ar hyn o bryd, nid oes amheuaeth nad yw'r broblem yn gwaethygu. A ydych chi'n cytuno, Dirprwy Weinidog, fod angen mesurau ychwanegol i fynd i'r afael â throseddau casineb yng Nghymru? Er bod mwyafrif llethol y troseddau hyn yn seiliedig ar hil neu grefydd, mae cynnydd annymunol mewn troseddau yn erbyn pobl lesbiaidd, hoyw, deurywiol a thrawsrywiol a phobl anabl. Fe ddywedodd Nancy Kelley, prif weithredwr Stonewall, nad oedd hi'n credu bod y cynnydd yn ymwneud â gwelliant yn yr adrodd. Ychwanegodd nad yw 80 y cant o bobl LGBT byth yn adrodd am droseddau casineb. Felly, dim ond crafu'r wyneb yw hyn mewn gwirionedd. Sut allwn ni argyhoeddi pobl bod angen iddyn nhw ddod ymlaen a rhoi gwybod am achosion o droseddau casineb? Un o'r camau allweddol i'w cymryd yw rhoi sicrwydd i ddioddefwyr bod adrodd am droseddau casineb yn werth y drafferth. Er hynny, mae nifer y bobl sy'n cael eu herlyn am droseddau casineb homoffobig yn llai, er gwaethaf y cynnydd yn nifer y dioddefwyr posibl sy'n dod ymlaen. Fe gynyddodd adroddiadau a gofnodwyd am gam-drin homoffobig yn y DU o ychydig o dan 6,000 yn 2014-15 i dros 13,000 yn 2018-19, ond yn ystod yr un cyfnod, fe ostyngodd nifer yr erlyniadau o 1,500 i ychydig dros 1,000 - o 20 y cant. Yn yr un modd, mae'r ffigurau yn dangos mai dim ond pedwar o bobl a gyhuddwyd o drosedd casineb yn erbyn pobl anabl yng Nghymru llynedd, er gwaethaf 268 o gwynion. Fe wn i fod heddluoedd yng Nghymru yn cymryd y mater hwn o ddifrif. Mae gan Heddlu Gwent, er enghraifft, dîm o swyddogion cymorth troseddau casineb sydd wedi cael hyfforddiant ychwanegol i gefnogi dioddefwyr, cynnig cyngor a chyfeirio dioddefwyr at sefydliadau eraill a allai gynnig cymorth pellach. A wnewch chi ddweud wrthym pa drafodaethau mewn gwirionedd a gawsoch chi gyda'r heddluoedd, y comisiynwyr ac eraill i fynd i'r afael â'r broblem hon o'r gyfradd isel o euogfarnau am y troseddau hyn? Yr hyn sy'n peri pryder, hefyd, fel yr amlinellwyd gennych, Gweinidog, yw'r cynnydd mewn troseddau casineb ar-lein. Cafwyd cynnydd arbennig o fawr mewn troseddau casineb ar-lein yn erbyn pobl anabl. Mae pandemig COVID-19 yn golygu y caiff pobl anabl eu cyfyngu i'w cartrefi gyda dim ond technoleg ddigidol i'w cadw nhw mewn cysylltiad â'r byd y tu allan. Felly, mae hwn yn destun pryder fod pobl anabl yn dioddef troseddau casineb ar-lein. Pa gamau y byddwch chi'n eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â'r cam-drin hwn ar-lein, Gweinidog? Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith eich bod chi'n cydweithio â Phrifysgol Caerdydd yn hyn o beth ac fe hoffwn i glywed ychydig mwy am hynny, os oes modd. Ni ddylai unrhyw unigolyn yng Nghymru ddioddef rhagfarn na throsedd casineb. Rwy'n croesawu'r datganiad heddiw ac ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod pawb sy'n dioddef troseddau casineb yn cael eu cefnogi a bod y troseddwyr cael eu dwyn i gyfrif. Rwy'n cymell pobl hefyd i gymryd rhan yn y digwyddiadau ar-lein yr wythnos hon. Diolch.