Tackling violence against women and girls

Equally Safe strategy refreshed

A national strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence against women and girls has been renewed to build on recent progress.

Equally Safe, a joint strategy with COSLA, was first published in 2014, and is backed by the Delivering Equally Safe Fund that is providing £19m per year to support 121 projects from 112 organisations.

One significant milestone reached, supported by the strategy’s aims, saw the Domestic Abuse Act passed by Parliament in 2018, which created a specific offence of domestic abuse that covers physical and psychological abuse as well as coercive and controlling behaviour.

Published today during 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, the refreshed strategy is focussed on increasing collaboration across sectors to tackle the attitudes and values that result in violence against women and girls.

A delivery strategy will be published next Spring and will set out further actions to achieve that goal.

Victims Minister Siobhian Brown said: “Violence against women and girls has no place in our society. The impact of violence is wide-ranging and can have a long-term lasting effect on the lives of those affected, their families and communities. 

“This refreshed strategy builds on progress made to date in raising awareness of the prevalence and harmful effects of violence against women and girls, strengthening the law, and providing support and resources to public and third sector workers helping those affected. 

“Our Delivering Equally Safe Fund focusses on early intervention and prevention, as well as support services and I am pleased that around 32,000 adults and children benefitted last year.

“There remains work to do and sustained action is needed. That is why our future vision focuses on finding opportunities to work collaboratively and constructively whenever possible to stamp out violence wherever we see it and preventing it happening in the first place.” 

COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, Councillor Maureen Chalmers said:  “For nearly a decade, COSLA and the Scottish Government have worked in partnership to eradicate violence, abuse and exploitation of women and girls from Scotland.

“Our collaborative efforts have been undertaken with specialist services, public sector organisations, and local authorities. These have propelled us forward in building a more equal and safer Scotland for everyone.

“These firm foundations have allowed us to refresh the Equally Safe Strategy. It emphasises the importance of prevention, collaborative leadership, and reaffirms the unwavering commitment from both local and Scottish governments to achieve our shared goals.”

 The refreshed Equally Safe strategy