Hansard

It is a pleasure to follow Bill Kidd’s speech, in which he talked of the evils of commercial sexual exploitation.

I start by referring to the members’ business debate that was sponsored by Pam Gosal on 23 November, in which we heard many powerful contributions. In that debate, I was again shocked and saddened by the statistic that one woman in three has experienced violence. As the UN has pointed out, that violence is probably the most pervasive of the human rights violations that occur around the world.

The figure of one in three struck me because 25 November was chosen as the international day for the elimination of violence against women as it is the anniversary of the deaths of the Mirabal sisters—Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa—in the Dominican Republic. Those three sisters stood up against a dictatorship and violence that was being directed specifically at women. They paid the ultimate price through their murder, in 1960, at the hands of men. There was also the added horror of the fact that the dictator and his henchmen tried to cover up their murder by pretending that it had been a car accident.

I recall the powerful words of Minerva, who said:

“If they kill me, I’ll reach my arms out from the tomb and I’ll be stronger.”

She was stronger. Women are stronger since that day, but because of the experiences that they have been forced to live through.

Indeed, as the minister laid out, women have already changed their behaviour, and it is now for men to do the same, because the experiences of violence that women suffer are almost always delivered by men. Women are living in an environment in which men fail to step in, and to call out and prevent such violence.

I welcome the motion, especially the sub-clause that 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”.

I welcome that because it is simply not enough to say to yourself as a man that you will not commit violence against anyone, especially a woman or a girl, and be content with just that. Men, who make up 50.04 per cent of the world’s population, must go further. They must positively act to ensure that the world is a safe place for women and girls, and they must recognise the vital role that men must play in challenging and eradicating violence against women and girls.

The prevalence of violence against women and girls has led to the idea that it is somehow inevitable or that it is impossible to end. That is plainly and simply wrong. Advances were made during the #MeToo era, and promises were made following high-profile cases such as those of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, but the momentum must not be allowed to fizzle out. Talking the talk is one thing, but the Governments, both at the UK level and in Scotland, must continue to work towards equality and an end to gender-based violence in Scotland, the UK and around the world.

That responsibility to maintain the momentum also rests with our communities, and now I wish to talk specifically to the men. Men must take responsibility for violence against women, not just in Scotland, but around the world. It comes in many forms, including sexual harassment, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, human trafficking, child brides, rape and femicide. Sex for rent is advertised online, and revenge pornography and stealthing are growing problems. Most recently, spiking in our clubs and bars has been highlighted.

The number of women murder victims is alarmingly high. Rape prosecutions and convictions are repeatedly low. Countless victims are abandoning their trials due to delays.

In 2021, 16 women were murdered in Scotland, which is a 60 per cent increase on the previous year. However, homicide statistics say that that crime is dropping, so why is that not reflected when the victim is a woman? The justice system needs to acknowledge the dangers that specific groups face.

Let me return to Minerva’s powerful words:

“If they kill me, I’ll reach my arms out from the tomb and I’ll be stronger.”

Yes—but only if men take responsibility to call out the behaviours of and actions by other men, in order to stop the violence and support women and girls. Wherever it happens—in the home, on the street, in the pub with their friends, in their local team’s changing rooms, in the WhatsApp chat or at work—men must call it out and stop it.

There should never be a situation in which a women or girl fears, let alone suffers, violence. It does not matter who she is, what her job is, how she has chosen to dress, how she reacts to a situation or the way she looks—it should not happen. That is the responsibility of all of us, but it is on the men, who have not lived up to that responsibility in the past, and not just on these crucially important 16 days, but on every day of every week of every year.

Let us make Minerva’s message from her tomb be true today and going forward, so that another life is not the price of that message—“I’ll be stronger”—that men need to hear.