£20 million to advance equality and tackle discrimination

Over two hundred projects working to promote equality and address discrimination will benefit from more than £20 million investment over the next year.

More than £5 million will be provided to organisations supporting engagement with communities experiencing prejudice on the grounds of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief and sexual orientation – while £2.7 million will go to frontline projects promoting equality and tackling prejudice.

Current funding levels of £11.8 million will be maintained to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls - including domestic abuse, sexual assault, and honour based violence including forced marriage and female genital mutilation. This will include £700,000 for Scotland’s local rape crisis centres to provide specialist services, information and support to rape and sexual abuse survivors.

In addition, a move to providing three year rolling funding over 2017-2020 will give vital reassurance and continuity to these organisations.

At a visit by Equalities Secretary Angela Constance to Fife Migrants Forum, which helps migrants and minority ethnic communities integrate into society and is a beneficiary of this funding, she said:

“We are determined to remove barriers that prevent anybody from making a full contribution to the economic, social and cultural fabric of our society.

“With this funding, we are continuing to support and empower people and groups to tackle inequality and discrimination head-on, helping secure positive and sustained change.

“My visit to Fife Migrants Forum has confirmed just how crucial projects like these are. As a nation with a long history of welcoming people of all nationalities and faiths, integration is essential.

“We want everybody to know that regardless of where they were born, live or what they do, when they live in Scotland they are valued members of our communities.”

Maciek Dokurno, Chair of Fife Migrants Forum said:

 “We’re delighted the work Fife Migrants Forum is doing for people who come to live in Fife from outwith the UK is being recognised by the Scottish Government. We see and hear every day in our office about the barriers migrants face to becoming responsible and active members of their new community. The Forum is here to support them in a caring and non-judgemental way on their journey towards a new life whether through conversation cafes, IT skills training, welfare and legal advice or crisis support.

“Promoting equality, diversity and harmony in our communities is equally as important which we also do with our community partners.”

Background

Full list of Equality Budget recipients 2017-2018:

Violence against women and girls fund 2017 - 2020

Violence against women and girls: national and intermediary funding 2017-2020

Promoting Equality and Cohesion Fund 2017-2020

Equality funding: national and intermediary bodies 2017-2020

Rape Crisis Specific Fund 2017-2020

Fife Migrants Forum is a community-led, rights based organisation. It works to integrate migrants and minority ethnic communities by addressing inequality, reducing poverty and deprivation and linking people into mainstream provision. It will receive £40,000 Scottish Government funding in 2017-18.