Our vision is of a strong and flourishing Scotland where all individuals are equally safe and respected, and where women and girls live free from all forms of violence and abuse, as well as the attitudes that perpetuate it.
Actions
We are:
- implementing Equally Safe: Scotland's strategy and delivery plan for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls and the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it
- investing record levels of funding to frontline support services and to projects that seek to prevent violence against women and girls
- ensuring our approach addresses specific experiences that minority ethnic women face
- set up the Domestic Abuse Roundable with justice partners to scrutinise how the law is working
- taking action to improve forensic medical services for victims of rape and sexual assault through the SARCS service
- tackling spiking by working with partners to address this issue
- developing a Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review Model for Scotland to reduce the number of homicides related to domestic abuse
- educating children and young people to understand the underlying attitudes and inequalities that perpetuate VAWG
- looking at the actions needed to prevent homelessness for women and children experiencing domestic abuse
- challenging and deterring men's demand for prostitution and supporting the sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution
- adopting a gendered approach to justice to build on the work of the Women’s Justice Leadership Panel
Related groups:
- Women's Justice Leadership Panel
- Domestic Abuse Roundtable: justice partners
- Domestic Homicide Review Taskforce
Background
We use VAWG to refer to a range of actions that harm, or cause suffering and indignity to, women and children. These include but are not limited to:
- physical, sexual and psychological violence in the family, general community or institutions. This includes domestic abuse, rape, incest and child sexual abuse
- sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in public
- commercial sexual exploitation including prostitution, pornography and trafficking
- so called 'honour based' violence, including dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages and 'honour' crimes
We believe that there are links between VAWG and inequality between men and women. This paper produced in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), What does gender have to do with violence against women?, explains our position.
Bills and legislation
Relevant legislation:
- Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018
- Human Rights Act (1988)
- Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004
- Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005
- Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005 made it a criminal offence to have female genital mutilation carried out in Scotland or abroad, and increased the maximum penalty from five to 14 years imprisonment
- Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
- Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 brought Scots law on sexual offences into a single act, and provided a statutory definition of consent
- Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011
- Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011
- Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 gave courts the power to issue protection orders to those at risk of forced marriage
- Children and Young People Scotland Act 2014
- Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 improved the information and support available to victims and witnesses dealing with Scotland's justice system
- Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 is UK-wide legislation which made forced marriage a specific criminal offence
- Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015
Contact
Email: ceu@gov.scot – Central Enquiry Unit
Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit
Post:
Scottish Government
Equality Unit
Directorate for Local Government and Communities
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ