Hansard

Today we mark the 16 days of activism that are about to begin and which will confront gender-based violence all around the world.

We are not only united in deploring such acts of violence, we are as one in aspiring to a better world: a world in which there is equality for all, a world in which women and girls can live free from violence, and a world in which attitudes and prejudices that fuel discrimination and gender-based violence are a thing of the past.

Twenty years ago, Governments from around the world met in Beijing and determined that they would

“advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity”.

They recognised that, for all the progress that there had been in advancing the rights and status of women around the globe, inequality persisted, with consequences for the wellbeing of all people. They reaffirmed their commitment to

“the equal rights and inherent human dignity of women and men”.

They restated their support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. They also declared their conviction that

“women’s rights are human rights”.

That was true then, it is true now, and nothing—nothing—that any abuser or aggressor can say or do can make it false. Today, together, let us reaffirm our support for the rights of women, for the rights of girls, for the rights of all humanity and for the cause of gender equality.

Twenty years since the Beijing declaration and the platform for action, we still live in an unequal world. A UN report on the progress that member states have been making found that there has been a strengthening in the law and in resolutions concerning violence against women and related areas, including human trafficking. However, global estimates show that 35 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by their partner, or sexual violence perpetrated by someone who was not their partner. That is one in three women worldwide.

The report goes on to say:

“all regions have unacceptably high rates of violence against women”

and

“alarmingly, the majority of women who experience violence do not seek help or support.”

Victim-blaming attitudes are common and are a frequent barrier to ending domestic violence and violence against women more generally. Data that were collected across 37 developing countries suggested that 21 per cent of women believed that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she argues with him, and that 27 per cent of women believed that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she neglects their children. Even here in Europe, a survey that was conducted across 15 EU states found that 52 per cent of people felt that women’s behaviour itself was a cause of violence. We still have some way to go.

We must challenge not only violence, but the prejudices that make it seem acceptable to so many people. We cannot delay. As a number of my colleagues have said, we have already waited long enough for the implementation of the equally safe strategy.

I join the Scottish Government in congratulating all the people and organisations across Scotland who work all year round to raise awareness and to tackle violence and discrimination. In my time as convener of the Equal Opportunities Committee, I have had the pleasure of meeting some of them, and I pay tribute to their work today.

The inroads that we have made in turning around some of society’s most outdated and offensive views of women has not been down to the work of the Government alone: the leadership and perseverance among particular sections of civil society has not only informed the work of Government, but has been absolutely critical in changing attitudes in this country.

Finally, I want to address a particular kind of violence that I believe we can prevent, not only by shifting attitudes in communities both here and abroad but by having a robust enforcement framework: female genital mutilation. The Equal Opportunities Committee will be returning to the subject soon, but we have already heard that 120 million women and girls worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM. It is a practice that has no basis in religion. In many communities, though, particularly in 29 African countries where the practising population is high, FGM can be viewed as a way of protecting a girl’s chastity before marriage or a women’s faithfulness afterwards. In communities where marriage is a prerequisite for social acceptance and economic security, women who resist FGM could face exclusion and vilification. There are women and girls who have ties to the practising communities who are at risk here in Europe. FGM is abuse—it is an act of extreme violence and it must not be tolerated.

Once again, I commend the good work of all those who champion the rights of women and girls in Scotland and around the globe. Twenty years on from the Beijing declaration, we still have a long way to go to achieve full equality, but I hope and believe that our shared sense of purpose will lead us to a better, gentler and more equal world.