Charity supporting people with disfigurements welcomes Welsh Government pledge for equal representation
Video report by ITV Wales correspondent Richard Morgan
The Welsh Government has become the UK's first public body to sign up to a pledge ensuring equal representation for people with disfigurements and visible differences.
Changing Faces, a charity that works to ensure equal treatment for those living with disfigurements, launched its #PledgeToBeSeen campaign, which the Welsh Government has now signed up to.
The campaign aims to promote equal treatment in the workplace and wider society for those living with disfigurements, with around one in five people across the UK identifying as having a visible difference, such as a scar, mark or condition that affects their appearance.
Signing the pledge now means the Welsh Government has committed to representing more people with a visible difference in their campaigns - including advertising, PR and recruitment - over the next 12 months.
It also means more communications about their pledge internally as part of their commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace.
Changing Faces said it was pleased to have the Welsh Government's backing.
Changing Faces Ambassador Catrin Pugh said: "As a proud Welsh woman with a visible difference, I am delighted that the Welsh Government is leading the way as the first public body in the UK to commit to Changing Faces' #PledgeToBeSeen campaign.
"We need to celebrate difference and challenge stereotypes, so people with scars, marks and conditions no longer experience discrimination and prejudice.
"It's right that people with visible differences see themselves represented in job adverts, in brand marketing or in public information campaigns.
"I'm looking forward to supporting Changing Faces in their work with the Welsh Civil Service to bring about positive change for anyone with a visible difference living or working in Wales."
The charity said it launched its campaign after research revealed several people living with disfigurements felt it was having a seriously detrimental impact on their lives.
Of the people it surveyed, it found:
One in three (29%) people felt depressed, sad or anxious as a result of having a visible difference.
Six in ten (58%) people with a visible difference reported they had experienced hostile behaviour from strangers.
Two in five (40%) said they had felt judged by potential employers and that they have not applied to certain roles because of their appearance (41%).
A teenager from Cardiff says this pledge by the Welsh Government will mean people with visible differences "won't feel so invisible".
Beth Bradfield was born with a hemangioma, affecting her ability to eat and breathe. It was surgically removed when she was a young baby, resulting in facial scarring.
Visible differences include conditions that change the shape, size, feel or look of the face or body, or how it functions, such as vitiligo, psoriasis or alopecia.
A part of the face or body that is different - such as a birthmark, cleft lip or having fewer fingers on one hand - is also categorised as a visible difference.
The term also includes scars, burns or changes to the face or body from an accident, an act of violence or self-harm.
These can also occur because of an illness, treatment or operation - for example due to cancer.
Catherine Deakin, deputy chief executiveof Changing Faces said: "People with a visible difference have to deal with stares, comments and bullying because of how they look.
"They tell us that they feel excluded and isolated from public life, rarely seeing anyone who looks like them in the media, adverts and brand campaigns.
"We are delighted that the Welsh Government signed up to our #PledgeToBeSeen campaign during Face Equality Week.
"They have made a real commitment to better represent people with visible differences across their communications and publicly share the news of their pledge.
"Importantly, they are going to raise awareness amongst those who work for the Welsh Government about the prejudice and discrimination that those with visible differences still face today.
"We hope that other public bodies and businesses will follow their example, supporting anyone with a visible difference to live the life they want to lead."
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