First Minister John Swinney has pledged further action to tackle violence against women and girls following meetings with survivors and organisations providing frontline support across Scotland.
Swinney said further discussions with public sector partners will take place next week, with the findings helping shape measures to be included in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government.
The First Minister has been meeting survivors, support organisations and public bodies as ministers consider what more can be done to identify abuse earlier, support those experiencing it and hold perpetrators accountable.
He said:
“Violence against women and girls is completely unacceptable.
“There can be no excuses for it.
“Having listened to courageous survivors such as Danielle MacDonald, I am more determined than ever to use my leadership as First Minister to help drive the change Scotland needs.
“For every woman who speaks out, there are many more who suffer in silence, fearful of the consequences of disclosing, an escalation in their partner’s abuse, not being believed, having their children removed from them.
“We must ensure services work together to identify abuse earlier, support survivors and hold perpetrators to account.
“Scotland has made important progress in recent years.
“We have strengthened laws, invested in specialist support services and worked closely with partners through our Equally Safe strategy.
“But the scale and persistence of violence against women and girls shows that we must go further and faster.
“This week, I met organisations on the frontline supporting women and girls affected by violence and abuse.
“Their message was clear: if we are serious about ending male violence, we must also tackle the inequality and harmful attitudes that allow it to persist.
“Continuing this engagement, next week I will meet public sector partners to identify further actions to strengthen Scotland’s response.
“These discussions will help shape the measures we take forward in the Programme for Government.
“Government has a vital role to play, but lasting change requires all of us to play our part.
“Men, in particular, must challenge sexism, confront abusive behaviour and help create a culture where every woman and girl can live free from violence, abuse and fear.”
The Scottish Government’s existing approach is centred around its Equally Safe strategy, which brings together work intended to prevent violence against women and girls while improving support for those affected.
Swinney’s intervention makes clear that ministers believe existing measures have not gone far enough to address the continuing scale of abuse.
The next stage will move beyond listening to survivors and frontline organisations towards deciding what additional measures government and public services can put into practice.
Those proposals are expected to emerge through the Programme for Government as Swinney puts tackling violence against women and girls among the issues requiring further action from his administration.
