The Scotland Office has joined other UK Government departments, the Scottish Government, local authorities and partner organisations across the country in supporting White Ribbon Scotland during the worldwide 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women and girls.
Secretary of State Ian Murray and Minister for Scotland Kirsty McNeill have signed the White Ribbon Pledge “never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women in all its forms”.
Minister for Scotland, Kirsty McNeill commented,
“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.
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.
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.
