From 25 November to 10 December, the United Nations is making a worldwide call to action during 16 Days of Activism to help end violence against women and girls.
The Scotland Office has joined other UK Government departments, the Scottish Government, local authorities and partner organisations across the country in supporting the campaign against gender-based violence.
Violence against women in all its forms, whether on the street, in the home or – increasingly – online, is unacceptable. One incident is one too many.
Here, in her own words, Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill explains why she and Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray signed the pledge to help end these atrocious crimes, and why she’s urging everyone in Scotland to back her:
“Women have always known, because we are taught and told and trained, from very early on in our lives, that we are not safe – not on the street, not in the park, not in the club, not in the pool, not on a date.
“We learn that our own bodies can be a source of vulnerability or an object over which other people feel entitled to ownership and control. For me and for so many of my friends, that is such a fact of life we don’t even talk about it until there’s another horrific headline about a woman or girl we know could so easily have been us.
“This government won’t stand for half the population living like that.
“Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is overseeing an unprecedented Government mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. No government has sought to do this before, and we recognise the scale of the challenge we are facing. But the time has come for us to treat these appalling crimes like the national emergency that they are.
“In Scotland, as globally, the figures are stark and unacceptable. In the last year, 14,484 sexual crimes were recorded by Police Scotland. And during the same period, there were 63,867 incidents of domestic abuse, an increase of 3% compared to the previous year.
“You will know some of these women. You might not know that you know them, but you do. They are in every town, every workplace, every friendship circle.
“The trauma of survivors runs deep. So too does our commitment to ensure all women and girls across Scotland can breathe freely, sure in the knowledge their safety is a priority. “
She went on: “That’s why this past week, and until December 10, the Scotland Office has joined other government departments, the Scottish Government, our 32 local authorities and organisations across the country in supporting the United Nations’ 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, the annual campaign to raise awareness and commit to change.
“Secretary of State Ian Murray and I have signed the White Ribbon pledge and we’ve been inviting Scottish MPs into our base on Whitehall to do the same.
“By supporting the White Ribbon Scotland charity – whose emblem is the global symbol detesting gender-based violence – each one of us has pledged never to ‘commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women in all its forms’.
“Whether it’s domestic abuse behind closed doors or harassment on our streets, we’re sending a clear message: it ends now.
“One of my earliest ministerial visits was to Edinburgh Women’s Aid, to hear from survivors about the work that had changed and, in some, cases saved their lives. There can be no doubt about the stakes. Let there be no doubt either about our determination to work together – Scottish and UK governments, Police Scotland, local authorities and more – to build a safe Scotland for all women and girls.”
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