Preventing violence against women for an Equally Safe Scotland: First Minister's Speech

Presiding Officer,

Throughout my service as a Minister in the Scottish Government, I have been involved in, and have supported, many measures to tackle violence against women and girls.

But this summer, I felt increased priority and leadership had to be given to address this situation. That has led me to pledge my personal leadership to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls in Scotland.

In recent weeks, I met with victim-survivors – like Danielle MacDonald, a survivor of domestic abuse who now campaigns for change.

And with Ann Grant, the mother of Stacy Hunter, who was tragically murdered by her estranged husband.

I was deeply affected by their stories.  By the unconscionable things they went through at the hands of their former partners, and by their courage and their resilience.

I have made it my priority to meet with other victim-survivors, and with organisations like Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Women’s Aid, and Engender.

I heard directly from the survivors, their families, and support groups so I could better understand their experience, and learn what more we can do – as a government but importantly as a society – to combat violence against women and girls, which I called this summer an epidemic of violence.

I have also just had the privilege, just before parliamentary business commenced this afternoon, to engage with survivors of violence against women and girls and representatives of the Sunday Post “It’s Time” campaign at the invitation of Russell Findlay, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have had that exchange prior to the parliamentary debate this afternoon.

I want to make clear in this debate today my commitment and the urgency I feel to act on this issue.  And I invite others to join with me.

I do this both as the First Minister and also as a man, because it is men who commit this violence. It is men whose behaviour needs to change.

We can address areas of criminal justice, but we need to address the fundamental issues that underpin some men abusing, controlling, and committing atrocities on women.

We must change and challenge the attitudes and behaviours that underpin and lead to such violence – the sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity that is prevalent in society and especially online.

In online spaces and on social media, views that are unacceptable – even abhorrent – in the mainstream and in our communities are given a platform and an audience.

With the help of algorithms and echo chambers and bad faith actors.

And with an utter absence of regulation, these views are amplified. 

They are made easy to access, forever within reach through computers and the phones in people’s pockets, alongside an endless supply of nasty rhetoric, exploitative images, and pornographic content. 

In such an environment, it is easy for men and boys – some of whom are impressionable, isolated, angry, scared, or vulnerable in any number of ways – to be saturated by cognitive distortions and misogynistic rhetoric.  And not see a counter to that, not see an alternative.

In this way, violent, abusive, and abhorrent behaviour can feel justified and normalised. 

But it is not justifiable.  It is not the norm.  It never will be and I cannot stress that point enough to Parliament today.

Presiding Officer,

What I say today is not to vilify men or boys.  It is to recognise the extent to which certain arenas, such as the manosphere and accessible pornography, have warped views and attitudes in disturbing and profoundly harmful ways. 

It is to recognise the impacts those attitudes are having on our society and on our culture – impacts that lead to violent, exploitative, and abusive behaviours.  With very real and very dangerous consequences for women and for girls.

And it is to recognise the challenge that we as a society have adapting to new threats in a quickly changing, increasingly online world and as a society what we are up against.

Presiding Officer, I and my government unequivocally and emphatically condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms, and we want to change and challenge the behaviours that underpin it in our society.

That is what my motion today states, and I thank those party leaders who have joined me in signing that motion to show one voice that it is up to all of us, as a society, to challenge these distortions, the warped views, the manosphere, and the misogyny that perpetuate violence against women and girls.

It is up to all of us to challenge the view, held by some, that violence against women and girls is somehow inevitable or excusable.

It is not inevitable. And it is never excusable.

Presiding Officer, my government is committed to addressing the root causes, the cultural causes, of gender-based violence, to promoting positive attitudes, to building people’s knowledge and skills, to increasing understanding of the impact of violence, and to supporting people to build better, healthier, more sustainable relationships throughout their lives.

Ultimately, we are committed to shifting the cultural context.  And preventing violence from occurring in the first place.

This means taking a public health, preventative approach to this issue.  And, like all good prevention, early intervention is critical. 

That is why we will invest in programmes like Equally Safe at School and Mentors in Violence Prevention, to help children and young people to challenge harmful stereotypes and build respectful, consensual relationships.

As we stated in our Programme for Government, in the coming year, we will complement these programmes with a multi-year, public health campaign aimed at boys and young men, to challenge misogyny and harmful behaviours before they escalate.

To address the urgent dangers and distortions that are created by a culture affected by misogyny, we have to tackle much of the output that is undertaken online. We will, and I reinforce this point openly today, work constructively with the United Kingdom Government and with international partners to push strongly for a much needed strengthening of the regulation of online platforms, to prevent violence against women and girls in digital spaces.

It is time for online platforms to take responsibility and to ensure that their output addresses these concerns. And if they won’t take responsibility, Governments must make them.

We will also continue to grow our suite of prevention activity, with a particular focus on schools. 

We are right now evaluating where and how this work can be most effective, where it should be tailored to local need, and how we can best equip those who work with young people with the right tools and language to make a difference in a swiftly changing environment.

This public health approach, addressing norms and attitudes is the right approach, the lasting one. It needs sustained focus and drive. And I assure Parliament of the determination of the Government to do that.

As we offer that, we must all be aware that violence against women and girls goes on around us every day – physical, psychological, and online. 

Recent data shows there has been an increase in reported violent crimes against women and girls. 

We recognise that a number of factors lie behind these increases – such as historic reporting, a greater willingness of victims to report crimes, and a justice system that will listen and take those cases to court so that perpetrators face the law.  And I commend our justice system for that.  

The impact of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act is making a difference as well.  And, whilst none of us want to see increases, as Marsha Scott of Scottish Women's Aid said in relation to the high number of prosecutions, this is “a good use of our law” – a point made again this morning by Tony Linehan on the radio.

So, the government recognises the importance of the criminal justice system acting as a deterrent where the public health prevention interventions that we have set out have not been effective.

In line with our Equally Safe approach, we are introducing a new multi-year fund to ensure vital services are sustainable to support women affected by violence against women and girls.

We are making our £2 million Fund to Leave permanent, providing practical and financial support to women and children leaving abusive partners.

To ensure harassment and abuse based on misogyny is outlawed, we will introduce the Misogyny Bill to recognise misogyny as a distinct form of prejudice. 

And over the summer, we consulted on more legal protections for women.  This will inform our work on a Violence Against Women and Girls Protections Bill, which we will bring forward later in this parliament.

We will also work within our devolved powers to improve online safety and combat technology-facilitated violence against women and girls. 

And the new Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Act contains a range of measures to improve the experiences of survivors of sexual offences.

A new national Sexual Offences Court will support the development of specialist, trauma-informed approaches to the management of sexual offences courts.  It will also help to identify and resolve issues that delay cases coming to trial.

And before recess, in October, we will lay regulations to enable the piloting of GPS monitoring for individuals on bail, including those suspected of domestic abuse.

I can confirm to Parliament today that the pilot will be led by Sheriff Principal Wade in the Tayside, Central and Fife Sheriffdom. Subject to robust local arrangements being put in place, to ensure public safety, we anticipate the pilot being able to commence next year.

Presiding Officer,

In drawing my remarks to a close, our aim is to enable women and girls to live safe, respected, and fulfilling lives free of violence.

To do so, we must address the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate that violence. 

And we must build more equal and more cohesive communities where everyone – men and women – are able to build healthy, supportive, and equal relationships and challenge those who seek to stoke division and incite violence. 

In recent years – as our communities and our economy have faced strain and pressure – we have seen many attempts by some to exploit the violence done to women and girls.

Deplorably, we have seen it weaponised to sow fear, mistrust, and division in our society.  It has been used in disinformation to set one community against another. 

But, without reservation, my government rejects that approach.

Scotland’s diversity is a strength.  Our communities are rich and vibrant, tightly-knit, incredible places.  They are made even more incredible by the different people, faiths, cultures, and backgrounds found within them.

Everyone in a modern Scotland deserves to live free from fear.  Everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and to flourish. 

I have pledged my personal leadership to this, and my government will work – across government and across society – to make this ambition a reality.

We will work to build a Scotland where everyone is safe, accepted and respected.  Where women and girls live free from all forms of violence, abuse, and exploitation.  And where all are free of the attitudes and stereotypes that perpetuate inequality.

We will work to do this, but it is not something we can do alone.  It takes sustained action across all parts of government and wider society.  Everyone working together.

I know there are many here and many across Scotland who will join us in this endeavour.

I encourage them to add their voices to ours.  I offer to give the leadership to our country to end violence against women and girls and to work with others to make that happen.

I move the motion in my name.