Meeting of the Parliament 30 November 2022
That is exactly what the debate is about. Across the equally safe joint strategic board, we have been doing that work and talking to all our diverse communities. Our work is about challenging men, so we need to challenge male perspectives in those communities as well. I will pick up on that in my closing comments.
We need to make progress on advancing women’s equality in a range of spaces: economic, civic, social and cultural. The work of the First Minister’s national advisory council on women and girls has made a vital contribution, and a key priority for us is to continue to engage with and respond to its recommendations.
The Cabinet Secretary for Justice will say more on this, but I will touch on the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018, our new legislation that better reflects the experiences of survivors by criminalising coercive control. If anybody has heard Ryan Hart speak about the situation that he was in, they will completely understand why we had to do what we did to criminalise coercive control. The 2018 act, which has been acknowledged as a gold standard, recognises the experience of children as victims and shows that the Government is taking action.
I turn now to our engagement—and this may answer the point that Pam Gosal raised in her intervention. Those who have experienced an issue understand it the most deeply. We recognise that, which is why victim survivors of violence against women are, and must remain, at the heart of everything that we do, and we must be held to account by them. I also recognise that those who work in specialist support organisations have amassed a wealth of experience in supporting victim survivors over many years. We value their insights and wisdom, and we will continue to work with those stakeholders as we develop our policy responses.
For example, I know that, just last week, officials who are working on equally safe met with specialists who work with minority ethnic women. I would be happy to share information about that with Pam Gosal if she is interested. The purpose of that was to ensure that there is regular engagement, so that we build our capacity to take an intersectional approach to our work. Expertise from those who deliver services is also central to the newly formed domestic homicide task force.
I pay tribute to all those organisations and workers. I know that their work, and the support that they offer, is truly transformative. I also recognise the need for greater focus on how we engage with young people. We must never presume that we know how best to involve our young people. Similarly, it would be wrong to make ill-informed judgments around how they communicate and engage with each other and with those of us from older generations. We must ask them, and involve them, which is why the Government has been working with members of the Scottish Youth Parliament to ensure and improve our engagement with younger people. I believe that we must seek their guidance on how we address the societal drivers that, so disappointingly in Scotland in 2022, mean that some men and boys still see violence against women and girls as acceptable. That must be challenged.
This year’s 16 days of activism global theme is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, which focuses on galvanising efforts, sharing knowledge and working together. As that theme recognises, it is only by uniting and taking action that we can tackle, prevent and ultimately end violence against women and girls.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises that violence against women and girls is abhorrent and has both a devastating impact on those affected and a destructive impact on the wellbeing of society; acknowledges that the global theme of 2022’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence is “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”; recognises that the eradication of violence against women and girls cannot be achieved without men recognising the vital role they must play on a daily basis in tackling deep-rooted sexism and misogyny that is inherent in the perpetrating of such violence; welcomes Police Scotland’s Don’t be that Guy campaign as a positive contribution in promoting a wider cultural shift to encourage men to take responsibility for stopping violence and discrimination against women and girls across all settings, and challenging the idea that it is the responsibility of women and girls to protect themselves from male violence, and is united in wanting a strong and flourishing Scotland, where all individuals are equally safe and respected.
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