Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 March 2021
As other members have already said, the Parliament is at its best when we unite. We do not pursue false consensus for the sake of it but, when we believe that there is an ideal that is greater than our individual parts, we come together to enact transformational law. There have been many examples of that. In the past 24 hours, we have seen the historic moment in which the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child was incorporated into domestic law. The Redress for Survivors (Historical Child Abuse in Care) (Scotland) Bill, the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill and many other pieces of legislation have recently been passed by the Parliament through unanimity and consensus, or with the backing of a large majority of the Parliament.
It is right that we end this parliamentary session on a point of unanimity. There are other bills to be considered next week, but I am proud that the final Government bill of the session that we will consider is the Domestic Abuse (Protection) (Scotland) Bill.
I turn to important points that colleagues around the chamber have made. Liam Kerr, Neil Bibby, Liam McArthur, John Finnie, Adam Tomkins and many other members were right to remind us of the context that we are in. In the past week, we have heard harrowing testimony from women about the dangers that they face from men. One member mentioned women as being vulnerable. That is not the case. As I see it, men’s violence and abuse of power are the problem, not women’s vulnerability.
As I said, some of the testimonies that we have heard have been harrowing. However, they have also forced a lot of men—I certainly speak on my own behalf—to take notice. For example, my wife has told me of the dangers that she faces. The other week, she told me, she was taking my daughter for a walk in broad daylight and a man was behind her. As she turned the corner—and although I was at work, here, in the chamber—she felt the need to shout out, “Humza, just wait for us.” That is incredible. I would never think to do that on a walk in darkness, let alone in broad daylight. I have never felt the urge to clench my keys in my pocket—nor, in pre-Covid days, to say to my friends after a night out, “I’ll text you when I’m back home safely.” I have never felt the urge, on the way back to my car, to pick up my phone and pretend that I am on a call so that people will think that I am speaking to somebody. I have never felt the urge to do any of that. However, those are probably fairly common practices, as I have heard recently from many women who have shared their testimonies over the past week.