Meeting of the Parliament 11 March 2026 [Draft]
I recognise the courage and fortitude that survivors of sexual and domestic abuse show when they share their personal experiences, whether they do so with ministers, in court or with other people in their lives. I absolutely endorse the sentiment that we need to listen to them in order to learn from their lived experience. That has been very much central to the work that we have done, such as the landmark Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, to which the cabinet secretary referred and which will transform our justice system and ensure that victims and witnesses are treated with compassion and are supported throughout the legal process. The importance of learning from lived experience is also one reason for our establishing the victims task force, which is supported by the victim/survivor advisory board to ensure that the task force’s work to improve the experiences of victims and witnesses is underpinned by lived experience.