Hansard

I welcome the debate on violence against women, and I am pleased to support the motion. We will also be supporting Labour’s amendment. This is an issue that transcends party politics, and I am sure, as is evidenced so far, that that will be reflected in the tenor of the contributions across the chamber this afternoon, as has been the case in previous years.

There is clearly consensus that we must all work collaboratively to eliminate this abhorrent practice, which has no place whatsoever in our society. However, in considering the way forward, I want to first emphasise that violence against women is inherently complex. It encompasses domestic violence, sexual violence, intimidation and maltreatment. It manifests itself physically and psychologically, with both immediate and much longer-term consequences. It knows no bounds, and it affects women and girls from all walks of life.

There are many root causes of sexual bullying, but I want to address one in particular that has been highlighted by Girlguiding Scotland in its recent girls’ attitudes surveys on sexual bullying and coercion. The surveys found that one in five girls aged just seven to 12 has experienced jokes of a sexual nature from boys and 59 per cent of girls and young women have faced some form of sexual harassment at school or college. However, an overwhelming majority of girls said that they would be reluctant to report such incidents because of fears of reprisals.

Furthermore, around four in five young women agree that girls are coerced into sex acts because they are frightened their boyfriend will leave them if they do not comply and 71 per cent of girls are frightened of physical or sexual abuse from their boyfriend if they do not do what they are asked to do.

The survey also reported that teachers have dismissed incidents of sexual bullying as “boys mucking around”, when it is precisely during those formative years that such attitudes and behaviour should be corrected. I am actually quite appalled that any teachers could be saying that sort of thing. Equally, girls and young women need to understand what counts as sexual harassment and that it is unacceptable. Parents, teachers and role models must educate our young people now by dismantling entrenched and archaic attitudes rather than perpetuating them.

That is all the more important because the most recent Girlguiding Scotland girls’ attitudes survey found that only 40 per cent of girls and young women aged 13 to 21 agreed with the following statement:

“I believe we can change society to be free from violence against women and girls in the future.”

That is a sad indictment that violence in all its manifestations has become normalised in our society, and it falls to us to reverse that worrying trend. I have a grandson of 15 and a granddaughter who will be 14 tomorrow, and I find it deeply worrying and upsetting that they are approaching adulthood in this continuing cultural climate.

How are we progressing? We must pay tribute to third sector organisations such as Girlguiding Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland, which are all working tirelessly to advocate on behalf of women in Scotland. As politicians, it is our job to help them push the reset button. I very much welcome the Scottish Government’s legislative commitment to tackle revenge porn and domestic abuse. I also welcome “Equally Safe: Scotland’s Strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls” and the other initiatives that the minister discussed in her opening remarks.

There is still a great deal to be done, as the statistics on sexual crimes that were released last week demonstrate. As I am sure members will be aware, the number of sexual crimes that were recorded in 2014-15 increased significantly, by 11 per cent on the previous year and by 46 per cent since 2005-06, with cases of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault on a consistently upwards trajectory. Meanwhile, the outgoing chief constable, Sir Stephen House, has confirmed that, on average, a domestic incident is reported to Police Scotland somewhere in Scotland every nine minutes, and that such incidents consume roughly 20 per cent of all police operational time. That makes for dismal reading.

It is encouraging that victims of sexual and domestic violence have found the confidence to report those crimes to the police and are increasingly doing so. Women and men need to be reassured that they do not need to suffer in silence, and it is heartening that victims are increasingly seeking the help that they need. That is particularly the case, given that the Scottish crime and justice survey for 2013-14 found that victims most commonly confided in friends and relatives—at 35 per cent and 27 per cent respectively—with only 13 per cent reporting partner abuse to the police.

Police Scotland has introduced a number of welcome and notable initiatives to combat violence against women, including the nascent disclosure scheme for domestic abuse Scotland, or Clare’s law as we know it, which was piloted in my home city of Aberdeen and in Ayrshire. Police Scotland has also turned its attention to domestic abuse in young relationships, for adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18. Extremely worryingly, the 2014 Girlguiding girls’ attitudes survey found that, of those polled, 35 per cent know girls and young women their own age who have experienced control or bullying from a partner, while 25 per cent know someone who has experienced violence from a partner. That is a disturbing trend, given that the Scottish criminal justice survey found that 14 per cent of adults reported experiencing partner abuse from the age of 16. More must be done to prevent that.

As we look to the year ahead, it is vital that we build on existing momentum by ensuring that the criminal justice system is robust in its sentencing of individuals who perpetrate violent and sexual crimes against women. Zero tolerance of domestic abuse is, I am afraid, being let down by zero sentencing in many cases. That has to change if victims are to believe that the system takes them seriously.