Hansard

As members have said, it is clear that the majority of childhood sexual abuse takes place within the family or within the community. As we know, it is not a case of stranger danger but something that is done by someone who is known to the child. Regrettably, it is still happening today.

As Malcolm Chisholm said, we do not know where the issue lands. It lands across many portfolios. In the chamber now we have a minister for health and a former cabinet secretary for education. Although I am a back bencher, I am a member of a Justice Committee, as is Margaret Mitchell. I congratulate her on her work as the convener of the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, which I know that she brings to the Justice Committee.

I will focus on some things that we have done in legislation. We have talked about justice, and the issue is not just about supporting people. It is about getting justice, a day in court and, I hope, successful prosecutions. Currently we have the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014. From the point at which someone comes into a police station to not just the point at which they give evidence in court or the point at which the accused person is successfully prosecuted and sentenced, but after that, when the person is imprisoned, then released—whether temporarily or on bail or because they have finished their sentence—the 2014 act tries to support the victim, put them at the heart of the judicial process and ensure that they are treated respectfully and sensitively in such cases. The various agencies have moved a long a way in that direction, in relation to police training, legal training, the judiciary and beyond. The Parliament brought forward that change.

This week, the Parliament brought into force an EU directive that further strengthens support for witnesses and victims. We did that through a statutory instrument from the Government. That support should be given and has long been missing from the judicial system. Sometimes the victim, who is often the prime witness in a case, was almost a bystander. They were not told what was happening, not engaged with and not supported. That situation has now passed, and I hope that we continue along that path.

I felt that it was important to talk about that part of what we want to be a resolution of sorts for victims of childhood sexual abuse and other abuse.

Margaret Mitchell’s Apologies (Scotland) Bill does not deal with remedies in the sense of criminal or civil actions, but at least it will allow apologies to be made. As members know, the committee is very sympathetic to it. The minister has moved, and the propulsion for that has come from Margaret Mitchell’s experience in chairing the cross-party group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

It is important to say that we should not put the issue in a silo. The issue crosses health, education, justice and social justice. It is important to put on record that I do not see it in a silo and that other members do not see it in a silo. We see it as something that is relevant to many of our workings within committees.