Hansard

I am proud to open our debate to mark the annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, which calls for everyone to imagine a Scotland that is free from violence against women and girls.

Last year, Zero Tolerance worked with a group of women who were asked to imagine just that. The film that they created was full of words such as “respected” and “free”. They thought that Scotland would be busy because so many more women and girls would be in public spaces, laughing, talking and having fun.

Sadly, as 2024 draws to a close, violence, abuse and misogyny remain an everyday and detrimental reality for women and girls in Scotland and internationally.

I am proud of our contribution to tackling this global issue and I am pleased to announce the launch of the new phase of our Police Scotland partnership programme with the police services of Malawi and Zambia. Through our international development fund, the new programme will continue to tackle violence against women and children.

Although we have our differences across the chamber, I am sure that we can be unanimous in recognising the importance of the global 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.

Violence against women and girls has no place in Scotland. As Taylor Swift sang in her song “Starlight”,

“Don’t you dream impossible things?”

A Scotland without violence against women is not an impossible thing, but it is a bold and ambitious goal. As parliamentarians, we can demonstrate through our collective voice that we are united in our ambition to end that blight on our society.

A significant message from a recent debate in the Scottish Youth Parliament was the importance of respectful dialogue and the recognition that young people’s voices are an integral part of the movement to tackle the issue. I welcome members of the Scottish Youth Parliament who are present in the chamber and I thank them for eloquently voicing the concerns of young people on this topic during their debate. As I promised them, we will use their debate to inform the debate on today’s motion by emphasising the importance of meaningful engagement with children and young people.

The Scottish Government has a bold ambition to make Scotland the best place in the world in which to grow up. An act that was fully commenced in July 2024 incorporates into Scots law, within the limits of our devolved competence, the rights and obligations set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The right of children to have their views heard and taken seriously is a guiding general principle of the UNCRC, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people are at the heart of decisions that affect them. That is why a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, Olivia Brown, has a representative voice on the equally safe joint strategic board, which oversees and supports the work to tackle violence against women and girls through our equally safe delivery plan.

The issues raised in the Scottish Youth Parliament debate, including technology-facilitated abuse, are reflected in many of the deliverables in the plan. Online abuse is a key issue affecting young people, and we recognise the harm and distress that it causes those who are targeted. I saw that for myself on a recent visit to Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, where young people had been supported to develop an awareness-raising exhibition that focused on mainstream and social media handling of violence against women.

Keeping children and young people in Scotland safe from online harm is a priority for the Scottish Government. Although the regulation of the internet is a reserved matter, we will continue to engage with the United Kingdom Government and Ofcom on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 and ensure that there are improved protections to keep children safe online.

I want us to lead from the front. That is why our equally safe delivery plan has a commitment that I convene a media summit to bring together key players from across all forms of media, including social media, to formulate a progressive and united approach to challenging violence and abuse.

Furthermore, in collaboration with Education Scotland, we have ensured that digital literacy, including internet safety and cyber resilience, is an integral part of the school curriculum. The Parent Club website also provides information and advice to parents on how to keep children safe online.

On 18 November, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety attended the launch of a sextortion campaign. It was launched to respond to the growing incidence of sextortion over the past 12 months in Scotland. The campaign was a collaboration between fearless, which is a Crimestoppers service, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Importantly, it has been co-designed with teenagers, the group most affected by the issue. The collaborative model is one that I am keen to see replicated in other areas of our work.

In recognition of the prevalence of harmful sexual behaviour for young people, we continue to implement the equally safe at school project. Developed by Zero Tolerance and Rape Crisis Scotland, the project works to prevent gender-based violence and to increase confidence and skills in order to respond accordingly.