violence against women and girls – The NEN

Women’s Charity Calls Upon Government to Prevent Domestic Abuse as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 Ends

Registered women’s charity, Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI), is calling upon the government to prioritise prevention against domestic abuse, and other crimes that incite Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 draws to a close.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that approximately 2.1 million women are victims of domestic abuse per year and that between two and three women each week are killed by a current or former partner.

Refuge reports that, in the UK, the police receive a domestic abuse-related phone call every 30 seconds. Yet, it’s estimated that only 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to the police.

Over the past few weeks, SIGBI has been campaigning for the elimination of VAWG and domestic abuse with its annual ‘16 Days of Activism’, a UN Women campaign that highlights gender-based violence worldwide.

Ruth Healey, President of SIGBI, said: “Amounting to a national emergency, violence against women and girls can take so many forms – physical, emotional, financial, and coercive – and much of it is now hidden, especially when it comes to domestic violence, which makes it so much harder to combat.

“It’s terrifying that between 2018 and 2023, there was a 37% increase in violent crimes against women and girls.

“The issue is growing, and the urgency for collective action is underscored by staggering numbers and reports highlighting the prevalence of gender-based violence both nationally and globally.

“Gender-based violence needs to be unacceptable in all parts of our society, and it requires a multi-faceted approach to address it. This includes prevention, protection, and prosecution, but mostly prevention.”

The ‘16 days of Activism’ also commonly referred to as ‘Orange the World’ commenced on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and has recently drawn to a close on 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Over the course of the campaign, SIGBI’s members – known as Soroptimists – have turned the UK orange, lighting up key monuments and buildings, to shine a light on these issues.

St Alban’s Museum, Hertfordshire County Hall, Cartmel Priory, The Hoad Monument, Barrow Town Hall, Pembrokeshire County Hall, Cirencester Parish Church, Wigan Town Hall, Wills Hall in Bristol, Bristol City Hall and key buildings in Salisbury are a few locations which turned orange over the past few weeks.

The campaign took place not long after the UK Government announced new measures to combat VAWG, marking the first step in its pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

Ruth said: “As Soroptimists, we believe we need to continue to raise awareness of this issue – empowering communities with the knowledge needed to help prevent violence before it starts.

“This is why – as the campaign ends this year – we’re keen to call on the Government to do more. While reforming police responses, strengthening the justice system, empowering victims and making Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) a mainstream issue is important, it is most important to prioritise the prevention of domestic abuse crimes or VAWG in the first instance.

“By turning the UK orange this 25 November to 10 December, we took action, raised awareness and ignited change, but we don’t want it to stop there. We are committed to creating a world where women and girls can live free from fear, empowered to reach their full potential.”

Soroptimists across the UK undertake a significant amount of work to prevent VAWG and domestic abuse – much of that work involves education around the impact of crimes against women.

The charity’s Lichfield club, for example, has run several Healthy Relationship talks to boys, aged 15 – 17 years old at the Lichfield City Football Academy, emphasising the need for Consent and Respect. Feedback from the Academy is that there has been a definite shift in behaviour.

Programmes are being run across the UK alongside conferences that bring together local agencies, councillors, Police Crime Commissioners and others to discuss local approaches.

Soroptimists have also launched observation studies into the treatment of female domestic abuse victims, watching over 220 sessions of the Special Domestic Violence Courts in the pilot alone. This work has now been replicated in Wiltshire (2018), the Midlands (2020 and now in Wales (2024).

The observations have consistently supplied similar recommendations. These include:

Female victims need consistent access to Domestic Abuse Advisors.
Technology needs to be used effectively to make a stressful situation less so, and to ensure that trials are not affected by an abuse of technology.
Essential training needs to be delivered to all magistrates, judges and Crown prosecutors so they fully understand domestic abuse, and how fear and control affect a victim’s decisions.
The voice of the victim must be represented appropriately.

SIGBI is a membership organisation which focuses on empowering women and girls to achieve their full potential and works to eliminate barriers and discriminations that hinder women’s progress.

The charity does this through its 248 clubs throughout the UK, Ireland, Malta, Asia and the Caribbean – over 200 of which are in the UK. It currently has a total of 5,150 members.

The organisation has consultancy status at the UN – with members participating in UN meetings, submitting statements and collaborating on global projects which advance gender equality.

The 16 Days of Activism, and the charity’s work on VAWG, are a part of this. Get involved here: https://sigbi.org/

“Women’s safety is not a privilege, it’s a basic human right,” Ruth concluded.

More young people helped to spot signs of abuse

Engagement to tackle gendered violence highlighted at start of 16 Days

More than 27,000 young people have benefited from education and awareness-raising sessions on tackling gender-based violence over six months, thanks to 45 grassroots organisations across Scotland.

The latest Delivering Equally Safe impact report, published by Inspiring Scotland, shows that the number of young people accessing sessions on issues including consent and gender equality through these organisations is increasing. The report also includes data on the number of people who have received frontline support, and the type of support provided.

The report publication comes as the global 16 Days of Activism campaign gets underway. To mark the start of the campaign, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart visited Monklands Women’s Aid in Airdrie to hear about their vital work to support women, children and young people.

Ms Stewart said: “Preventing violence against women and girls is key to creating a society where women and girls can live safely. I am proud to be supporting the 16 Days of Activism campaign to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls.

“Thanks to organisations supported by our Delivering Equally Safe fund, workshops supporting young people to understand consent, healthy relationships and the signs of abusive behaviour have reached more than 27,000 young people.

“In the two years since Delivering Equally Safe started, nearly 17,000 children and young people have engaged in frontline funded support.

“Among the organisations providing frontline support is Monklands Women’s Aid, whose work to address both traditional and emerging forms of violence against women and girls is vital and innovative.”

Monklands Women’s Aid Chairperson, Christine Buckel said: “Grassroots organisations like Monkland’s Women’s Aid are the backbone of community support for those facing the trauma of domestic abuse.

“Our integrated approach ensures women, children, and young people receive tailored support when they need it most. Most importantly, we listen to and respond to those we serve, ensuring that their voices shape the services that make a real difference in their lives.

“The Delivering Equally Safe programme fund provides vital funding that enabled the organisation to deliver frontline domestic abuse interventions to 1,571 people since October 2021.”

Delivering Equally Safe impact report

Starmer pledges joint action to keep women and girls safe at night

Police chiefs, industry executives and transport bosses called to Downing Street to crack down on spiking and protect women and girls
Spiking will become a new criminal offence in England and Wales
Commitment to halve violence against women and girls is central to the government’s mission to make our streets safe

Police chiefs, industry executives and transport bosses must work together to keep women and girls safe, the Prime Minster will urge when he convenes leaders in Downing Street later today.

Reiterating his personal commitment to halve violence against women and girls, the Prime Minister will also confirm that his government will make spiking a new criminal offence. This will send a clear signal that this is a crime, and perpetrators should feel the full force of the law, empowering victims to report offences and giving them confidence the justice system will support them.

Speaking to leaders later today, the Prime Minister will set out how the new offence is just one of part of the solution. He will demand coordinated action across the police, transport network and venues to stamp out this cowardly act and take back our streets.

This will include training thousands of staff working in the nighttime economy on how to spot and tackle spiking. Piloted from December, the training will help equip staff with the skills they need to prevent incidents, support victims and help police collect evidence. This will be rolled out to up to 10,000 bar staff across the country by spring next year.

At today’s meeting, which comes just weeks before Christmas and when violence against women and girls is known to rise, the Prime Minister will hear from police forces and industry leaders about the tactics already being used to keep women safe and urge other forces and venues to follow their lead.

Chief Constable Jason Hogg, Thames Valley Police, will set out how his force has deployed plain clothed officers into areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory sexual behaviour. This tactic is now being used by over 20 forces across England and Wales.
Chief Constable Lucy D’Orsi, British Transport Police will set out work being undertaken to keep women safe using public transport. This includes relaunching the text-to-report number, 61016, that is now free across all major networks, allowing women to discretely contact British Transport Police for help if they are or someone else is being harassed on the train. In one case, a victim texted 61016 to alert the police, officers met the train, and the offender was arrested just half an hour later.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of UKHospitality and Chair of Institute of Licensing, will discuss supporting the Home Office in its plans to roll out nationwide training to make sure all door and bar staff know how to prevent spiking and have the skills needed to act if they suspect someone has been spiked.
Chief Constable Maggie Blyth, the NPCC lead for VAWG, will talk about the ongoing scale and threat of violence against women and girls, its prevalence in the night-time economy and what policing needs to tackle offenders and reduce the number of victims enduring abuse.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “My government was elected on a pledge to take back our streets, and we will never achieve this if women and girls do not feel safe at night.

“Today, I will bring together police chiefs, heads of industry and transport bosses to demand coordinated action to stop women being targeted, whether they are out with friends or simply travelling home.

“Cracking down on spiking is central to that mission.

“We know it can be incredibly difficult for victims to come forward to report this awful crime, and these cases can be very hard to prosecute. We must do more to bring the vile perpetrators who carry out this cowardly act, usually against young women and often to commit a sexual offence, to justice.

“That is why I made a promise that, if elected, I would make spiking a new criminal offence. Today, I am proud to have come good on that pledge.”

Action against spiking is just one of the measures being taken to meet the government’s unprecedented manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade, a fundamental part of the mission to make our streets safe.

Within the first few months of being in office, the government has already announced plans to launch new Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to give greater protection to victims, and that domestic abuse specialists will be embedded in 999 control rooms. More announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims.

“That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide.

“People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever this appalling crimes take place.”

Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “Our pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants are where Brits go to enjoy themselves and our priority is to ensure everyone can do that safely.

“I’m pleased that we’re able to support the Home Office in its plans to roll out a nationwide training programme as part of these efforts, to help ensure all staff know how to prevent spiking and have the skills to act if they suspect someone has been spiked.

“This is all part of hospitality’s unwavering commitment to keeping customers safe and ensuring our teams have the knowledge and skills they need.”

Minister for Victims and Violence Against Women and Girls, Alex Davies-Jones, said: “Christmas should be a time for celebration and community but all too often perpetrators of vile crimes like spiking take advantage of festivities to target women and girls.

“As a society we cannot accept that, and this government is taking firm action to keep them safe – from creating a new criminal offence of spiking to working hand-in-hand with police and business to crack down on this behaviour.

“These are just some of the steps that will allow us to achieve our aim of halving violence against women and girls.”

Assistant Chief Constable Samantha Millar, National Police Chiefs’ Council Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Programme Director, said: “Spiking can have a significant, traumatic impact on victims and feelings of safety in the night-time economy, particularly for women and girls.

“Spiking is a complex offence to investigate as drugs can pass through the system quickly and there is often a lack of evidential opportunities, which is why quick reporting and early evidence gathering, including forensic testing, is key.

“Police forces across the country have been working proactively to stop spiking from happening in the night-time economy and improve feelings of safety for women and girls. This includes regular, targeted patrols of busy town centres and visiting organisations, such as universities, to raise awareness of the symptoms of spiking.

“Forces also work closely with bars, pubs and clubs to tackle spiking, and during the first national spiking police week of action in March, forces collectively visited over 1900 licensed venues to ensure that staff understood how to support victims.

“I hope that the policing response to protect women and girls in the night-time economy shows how committed we are to making our streets safer. I would encourage anyone who is a victim of spiking to report it to the police, you will be listened to, and you will be taken seriously.”

Iain Packer conviction: Police Scotland statement

‘Emma Caldwell, her family and many other victims, were let down by policing in 2005. For that we are sorry’.

A 51-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering Emma Caldwell in 2005.
Iain Packer was convicted at the High Court in Glasgow today, Wednesday, 28 February, 2024, of killing the 27-year-old and hiding her body.

Emma was last seen on CCTV around 11pm on Monday, 4 April, 2005, walking alone on Butterbiggins Road towards Victoria Road on the southside of Glasgow.

She was reported missing by her family on Monday, 11 April, 2005, and her body was found in Limefield Woods, near Biggar, on Sunday, 8 May, 2005.

Packer was also convicted of a number charges involving violent and sexual crimes against a number of women over many years.

He was today (Wednesday 28th February 2024) sentenced to life in prison and ordered to serve a minimum of 36 years behind bars.

Assistant Chief Constable for Major Crime and Public Protection Bex Smith said: “Emma Caldwell, her family and many other victims, were let down by policing in 2005. For that we are sorry.

“A significant number of women and girls who showed remarkable courage to speak up at that time also did not get the justice and support they needed and deserved from Strathclyde Police.

“Police Scotland launched a re-investigation of the case in 2015 after instruction from the Lord Advocate.

“It is clear that further investigations should have been carried out into Emma’s murder following the initial enquiry in 2005.

“The lack of investigation until 2015 caused unnecessary distress to her family and all those women who had come forward to report sexual violence.

“It is the courage, resilience and determination shown by Emma’s family, in particular her parents William and Margaret, and all those who survived Iain Packer’s horrific catalogue of offending that got us to where we are today.

“William is, sadly, no longer here to see this day, but I hope this verdict gives Margaret and all those affected by this case, the justice they deserve.

“This was an extremely challenging re-investigation and without doubt the largest police enquiry of recent times in Scotland.

“Over seven years, a full review of the original enquiry by Strathclyde Police in 2005 was completed.

“More than 30,000 documents and statements were gathered and reviewed along with in excess of 23,000 productions. New forensic tests were carried out and new witnesses were identified and interviewed, leading to the convictions today.

“Iain Packer was a calculating sexual predator who targeted women over many years. It is hard to comprehend how anyone could carry out such despicable, ruthless acts.

“He took Emma’s life for his own gratification in the most appalling circumstances and cruelly left her body in remote woods hoping to cover his tracks.

“But time is no barrier to justice and I would urge anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence to please come forward and speak to us.

“You will be listened to and you will be supported – no matter when the offences took place.

“We have reflected and learnt from the initial investigation and subsequent re –investigation. Significant changes have been made in recent years to improve our organisational culture and our response, particularly in respect of investigative structures, victim care and processes to these types of crimes.

“Our Violence against Women and Girls Strategy demonstrates our absolute commitment to tackling the violence and abuse that disproportionately affects women and girls.

“What shone through to the enquiry team throughout the investigations into Emma’s life was her gentle personality, and I want to finish by saying that our thoughts remain with Emma, her family and all those affected by this terrible case.”

The Scottish Conservatives called for a full Judge-led public inquiry into the case at First Minister’s Questions today (Thursday 29 February).

Both Scottish Labour and the Scottish Lib-Dems echoed the call.

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

DES Fund: Supporting survivors of violence and abuse

Almost 20,000 people given emotional and practical support

A new fund for those affected by violence against women and girls has supported nearly 20,000 survivors in its first six months.

The Delivering Equally Safe (DES) fund provided £9.5 million to 121 projects in its first six months. These projects give one-to-one emotional and practical support, as well as refuge, legal or financial advice and other services. Many of the organisations also run training and outreach programmes aiming to prevent violence against women and girls.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie visited the Saoirse project in Blantyre, run jointly by the charities WASLER and Liber8, to learn how it supports women in Lanarkshire who have been affected by both substance use and domestic abuse.

Ms McKelvie said: “The projects supported through our Delivering Equally Safe fund offer a lifeline to survivors of violence and abuse. Tackling violence against women and girls is a core priority for the Scottish Government, and this fund is a key element ensuring innovative projects can support survivors and tackle the root causes of violence and abuse.

“I have been moved and inspired by conversations with the women supported by Saoirse. By bringing together specialist services for both domestic abuse and substance use, Saoirse targets the multiple, complex issues that these women may be going through, helping them rebuild their lives.

“This is just one of 121 projects across Scotland that we are supporting through this fund. I am deeply grateful to all the organisations involved for the extraordinary work they do, and for supporting 20,000 survivors in just six months.”

Heather Russell, Chief Executive of WASLER (Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire), said: “The importance of funding and sustainable funding for our sector cannot be understated.

“Limits on service delivery and development of services to meet the true needs of women, children and young people we support is a daily grind. It makes the funding of our Saoirse service all the more essential.

“Delivering Equally Safe funding has allowed us to partner two distinct specialisms to develop a needs-led initiative. In bringing together specialist domestic abuse and substance use support services we are able to provide holistic support for women facing multiple and complex challenges.

“The very decision to fund this new partnership illustrates a strategic understanding of domestic abuse and its dynamics. Without DES funding we simply would be unable to deliver prescribed support to women who through no fault of their own need it. Gender-based violence is a threat to the lives of women and girls.

“Any funding for specialist organisations to support recovery and empowerment of those women is another life saved.”

Kaylie Allen, Director of Funds, Inspiring Scotland, said: “Organisations funded through Delivering Equally Safe deliver vital support for people experiencing gender-based violence alongside crucial education and prevention work.

“We are proud to work with this diverse group of organisations as Fund Managers for the Scottish Government, and are pleased the immense work of the funded groups can be acknowledged through this report. We want to thank funded groups for their hard work reporting on the impact of their activity.

“The learning gained from their reporting confirms not only the difference they are making to the lives of women and children across Scotland, but also the increasing demand for the services they offer.”

A report on the first six months of the Delivering Equally Safe Fund has been published by Inspiring Scotland.

Tackling violence against women and girls

£4.25m extra funding for frontline services

Women and children experiencing or at risk of violence and domestic abuse will have increased access to support, with £4.25 million of additional funding for charities and projects across Scotland.

The additional investment will help respond to an increase in demand from victims of abuse for support services during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

More staff, increased hours for centres and helplines, improvements to IT and new digital resources and training will all allow services to be up-scaled so that more people can quickly and easily access help.

Updated guidance, developed in partnership with COSLA, is also already being used by local authorities to keep women and children safe.

Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “The greater risks to women and children of domestic abuse with referrals to frontline services increasing during the pandemic is a major concern. It is atrocious that this is the case but we are focused on ensuring that frontline services can meet the increased demand for support.

“This extra funding will help to ensure these vital services are still able to provide support to people across the country, and the scale and innovation of these projects will provide a lifeline to many women and families.

“Any kind of violence is unacceptable and the safety and wellbeing needs of women and children need to be protected – that is even more important during a pandemic. Police Scotland continue to prioritise domestic abuse cases so I would also encourage anyone suffering violence and domestic abuse not to hesitate to get the support they need.”

Dr Marsha Scott, Chief Executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “Our local Women’s Aid groups have shown extraordinary resilience and creativity in rapidly redesigning their services to continue supporting those experiencing domestic abuse throughout the pandemic. The challenges they’ve faced have been huge as COVID-19 has given abusers more tools to control and harm women and children.

“This injection of financial support will provide some much-needed stability for groups against a back drop of precarious, patchwork local funding. As lockdown and other measures ease, our local groups are anticipating even more demand for their specialist services as survivors begin to have more opportunities to seek support.

“Additionally, if faced with a second wave of the virus, this funding will strengthen the responses of groups and allow them to build on the progress they have made in delivering services remotely. This support from the Scottish Government will help local Women’s Aid services prepare to meet those needs and will mean that women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse can access the help and advice they want, when they want it.”

Read the report Coronavirus (COVID-19): domestic abuse and other forms of violence against women and girls during Phases 1, 2 and 3 of Scotland’s route map (22 May to 11 August 2020)

Read more on Equally Safe, the Scottish Government’s strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls.

Funding is confirmed to March 2021 and will be indicative to September 2021, subject to budgets for the 2021-22 financial year.

A list of the funded projects is below:

Organisation/Project	Amount 2020/21	Indicative Amount 2021/22
Aberdeen Cyrenians	£32,739	£32,239
Action for Children Western Isles	£720	£0
Bridge funding for local CEDAR programmes	£67,158	£67,158
Children 1^st – Scottish Borders	£18,000	£18,000
Committed to Ending Abuse	£16,000	£16,000
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault West Lothian	£30,000	£30,000
Dumfries and Stewartry Women’s Aid	£27,500	£27,500
Equally Safe at School (Rape Crisis Scotland/Zero Tolerance)	£11,684	£11,684
Kingdom Abuse Survivors Project	£16,500	£16,500
Moray Rape Crisis Centre	£5,842	£5,842
Moray Women’s Aid	£12,517	£12,517
Rape Crisis Scotland – additional capacity for support	£676,584	£676,584
Rape Crisis Scotland – Helpline	£31,712	£31,712
Rape Crisis Scotland – National Advocacy Project	£242,907	£242,907
Rape Crisis Scotland – refresh funding services model	£15,000	£0
Red Cross – supporting vulnerable women	£4,963	£4,963
Respect Men’s Advice Line	£14,357	£14,357
Respekt (City of Edinburgh Council)	£24,380	£24,380
SACRO Another Way	£20,000	£20,000
Saheliya	£38,097	£38,097
SAY Women	£23,308	£21,692
Scottish Women’s Aid – enhanced support for women, children and young people through affiliated groups	£637,500	£672,219
Scottish Women’s Aid – improving digital infrastructure and communications for affiliated groups	£68,000	£68,000
Scottish Women’s Aid – affiliated groups staff health and wellbeing	£53,000	£53,000
TDAS Barnardos	£25,000	£25,000
West Dunbartonshire Council Support Service	£24,966	£24,966

Equally Safe: strategy to address violence against women expanded

A strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls is to be expanded and backed by more than £1 million of additional funding. The Equally Safe delivery plan includes measures to teach school children the importance of consent and healthy relationships and will see Rape Crisis Scotland’s sexual violence prevention programme rolled out across a further 11 local authorities. Continue reading Equally Safe: strategy to address violence against women expanded