Meeting of the Parliament 02 December 2025
Every year since I entered the Parliament in 2021, I have spoken in debates on sex-based violence and on the 16 days of activism. However, sadly, things are not any better today—in fact, they are getting worse.
The theme of this year’s 16 days of activism is “UNiTE to end digital violence against all women and girls”. With technology playing a more prominent role in our lives, digital hate is constantly on the rise. What can start as a seemingly harmless message, comment or post can spiral into something dangerous. From misogynistic comments to private photos being shared without consent and deepfakes that include the faces of women and girls on naked bodies, the internet is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for women and girls. As if that was not shocking enough, we keep seeing younger and younger girls being victims of this terrible violence.
Sex-based violence is not just a global phenomenon; it affects women in Scotland, too. The domestic abuse figures that are released by the Scottish Government remain appalling. With almost 64,000 incidents reported to Police Scotland in one year—that amounts to one incident every 10 minutes—we clearly need to do better. At the same time, the numbers of cases of sexual assault, rape and attempted rape have also risen in the past year. That is just the tip of the iceberg, because the majority of cases go unreported.
On Thursday, along with the Women’s Rights Network Scotland, I sponsored a vigil to commemorate the 46 women who have been killed by men in Scotland in the past five years. They were somebody’s daughter, sister, mother and friend—most important, they were somebody whose life has been lost and whose family has been shattered.
Last week, in response to a question that I asked him on the subject, the First Minister indicated that he had attended similar events in his constituency. However, I was disappointed that not one single SNP MSP attended the vigil outside the Parliament.