Violence Against Women
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-4855, in the name of Jamie Hepburn, on the white ribbon campaign’s 16 days of action to tackle violence against women. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the 16 Days of Action to tackle violence against women that takes places from 25 November to 10 December 2012; commends the continued work of those promoting awareness of this issue and campaigning for an end to violence against women in places such as Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and across the rest of Scotland; also recognises White Ribbon Scotland’s work to challenge attitudinal problems around this issue; believes that it is wholly unacceptable that an estimated one in four women will experience violence from a man at some point in their lives; considers that this is not solely a women’s issue and that everyone has a role to play in preventing violence against women, and restates its commitment to tackling domestic abuse and all forms of violence against women.
17:20
I begin by thanking the members who added their names in support of my motion in order to enable it to be debated this evening. Their support is sincerely appreciated, as is the presence of members who have stayed behind either to participate in or to watch the debate.
I also thank White Ribbon Scotland for its support in advance of tonight’s debate, and for the invaluable information and guidance that it has been able to provide me with to help me to prepare. I also thank Zero Tolerance for the briefing with which it has it provided members for the debate. I note that it will hold an event in Parliament this Thursday to mark 20 years of activity, which is co-sponsored by Malcolm Chisholm and by Christina McKelvie—who I know is disappointed not to be able to take part in tonight’s debate. I give notice of my apologies for being unable to attend that event. I hope that it goes well.
White Ribbon Scotland began in 2006. It does not exist in isolation, but is part of an international movement to engage men in tackling violence against women. That movement began in Canada in 1991, around the same time that the City of Edinburgh Council ran its first zero tolerance campaign, which was in the winter of 1992.
The white ribbon movement now exists in more than 60 countries across the world, working with non-perpetrating men to tackle violence against women and recognising the important role that men have to play in tackling this social evil. Clearly, not all men are perpetrators of violence against women, but the white ribbon movement recognises that we live in a society where women do not have equality with men and that, as a consequence of that inequality, many women are victims of gendered violence.
White Ribbon Scotland seeks to engage with men and boys to tackle violence against women by challenging the gender inequality that underpins it. Since 2006, White Ribbon Scotland has worked with local authorities, police departments and members of the general public to help them to challenge sexist attitudes, to reconsider their own behaviour and attitudes and to promote healthy masculinity. In that time, 2,200 members of the public have taken the online pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women. This year, White Ribbon Scotland has been working with local authorities and partner organisations on educational events across Scotland. In particular, it has been working in secondary schools in Dundee, educating more than 1,400 young people about the campaign and the link between negative attitudes and violence against women.
The motion’s being lodged and its being debated this evening have been timed to coincide with a campaign of 16 days of action to tackle violence against women, which is being headed by White Ribbon Scotland. I note that my friend, Bob Doris, has lodged a motion to mark the campaign.
The 16 days began on 25 November and will end on 10 December. Those dates are neither incidental nor accidental. The first date marks the international day of the elimination of violence against women, and the second is international human rights day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which was brought about by the determined work of Eleanor Roosevelt, who was famously described, in connection with that achievement, as being someone who would
“rather light a candle than curse the darkness.”
The purpose of connecting those dates—of tying the international day of the elimination of violence against women to international human rights day—is to encourage people around the world to see women’s rights as a vital component of the broad spectrum of human rights.
The reality in modern Scotland suggests that we desperately need to focus our efforts better on tackling the problem of violence against women. In Scotland, domestic abuse is too prevalent, with an incident being recorded every 10 minutes. White Ribbon Scotland suggests that one in five women experiences domestic abuse in Scotland and Zero Tolerance suggests that one in four women experiences some form of violence or abuse. In 2011-12, domestic abuse incidents reported to the police rose by 7 per cent to nearly 60,000. In 81 per cent of those incidents, the victims were female and the perpetrators were male. In the same year, reported incidents of rape rose by 19 per cent. Around 100,000 children in Scotland live with domestic abuse and as many as one in three young women has experienced dating abuse. Almost one in four 14-year-olds has been forced to do something sexual by someone they were dating. As the father of a young daughter, those statistics are particularly alarming to me.
A change in attitudes will be key to dealing with the problem. A study by the centre for research on families and relationships at the University of Edinburgh in 2011 found that young children justify men’s violence against women using gender stereotypes and a rigid understanding of adult relationships. The researchers found that young people subscribe to naturalised definitions of masculinity to explain, rather than to question, why men are violent. Those ingrained views should worry us all and we need to challenge them if we are to challenge violence against women. We need to start that work by supporting the work of White Ribbon. I hope that the debate goes some way towards furthering that work.
The debate is very tight and we are unable to extend it this evening. If members speak for about three minutes, I might get everyone in, otherwise I might have to drop a member.
17:25
I congratulate Jamie Hepburn on lodging the motion, which commends the work of the people who are promoting awareness of violence against women and are campaigning for an end to it. It is quite right to mention White Ribbon Scotland in that context, because it is clear that men are the problem, in the sense that men cause the problem, and it is vital that men speak out on the issue.
It goes without saying, however, that men must work with the leaders of the work, who are the women and women-led organisations who have been working in the area since the 1970s. During the 16 days of action, it is important to remember that work. In 1976, when Scottish Women’s Aid was founded, there was a lack of public awareness and understanding of domestic abuse and there was undoubtedly a failure by statutory agencies to respond appropriately. Much of the work that Scottish Women’s Aid did was around awareness raising and getting domestic abuse on to the political agenda.
I wanted to say more about that, but I am conscious that I have only three minutes and I am already talking too fast, so I will briefly mention the Rape Crisis Scotland centres, which also started in the 1970s. Today, a network of centres across Scotland works to provide much-needed support to those who experience rape and sexual assault and to raise awareness and challenge myths. Activists and volunteers have driven much of the agenda around sexual violence.
The third organisation that I want to mention is Zero Tolerance Charitable Trust, which had a profound influence on me when it started in Edinburgh 20 years ago, in 1992. I would like to say more, but I have lodged a motion that congratulates Zero Tolerance on its 20th anniversary, which has attracted 53 signatures and which I hope will be selected for debate soon, so I had better desist from saying more about the organisation. However, it is important to say that all the men who are involved in White Ribbon should work with the women’s organisations that have led and continue to lead the work.
It is also important that White Ribbon asks men the hard questions on the subject. It should ask men not just to condemn domestic abuse—which I hope the vast majority of men would do—but to understand that male privilege and power are at the heart of the problem. Domestic abuse and violence against women more generally are rooted in gender inequality, which is reflected in the unequal power relations that continue to exist between men and women, the unequal pay structures and working conditions that exist and the value—or lack of value—that we place on women’s roles in every way in everyday life. In that sense, male violence against women is a profound societal and cultural problem that is rooted in social relations rather than just in the psychopathology of individual men. White Ribbon should learn that lesson from the women’s organisations that I mentioned.
White Ribbon must also ask men to reject all forms of abuse and exploitation, including some activities that many people regard as being normal parts of masculinity, for example attending lap-dancing clubs. I could mention many other examples, but they will probably be mentioned in the Zero Tolerance debate, which we will have, I hope, soon, because such abuse and exploitation are the new frontier on which Zero Tolerance is focusing.
In the 16 days of action, we should remember all the work that has been done and—most of all—the thousands and, indeed, millions of women throughout the world who have suffered and who continue to suffer the unacceptable scourge that is violence against women. I hope that members will come to the Zero Tolerance event in the Parliament on Thursday night. There are other events this week, such as the conference on Friday on rape and women’s inequality, which I will attend.
17:29
I congratulate Jamie Hepburn on securing the debate and White Ribbon Scotland on its 16 days of action campaign.
I am sure that many members have, as I have, had a number of cases in which we have seen the victims of domestic abuse and abuse by men against women. The victims are often not just the women, but the children of the women. The psychological fall-out from the initial behaviour can be long lasting. Housing, health and schooling issues can all stem from one act of senseless violence.
I will talk about a couple of projects in my constituency that help people who are affected by domestic abuse. The Domestic Abuse Project, which was founded in 2000, is dedicated to alleviating the suffering of women and their families who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse. The service is based in a community centre and is provided in a low-key and easily accessed setting. As many such organisations are, it is run by a board of directors, all of whom are volunteers, and day-to-day support is provided by a small team that is headed by a project manager.
The project’s ethos is to help its clients to make their own decisions—decisions that will enable them to live more safely. It does that by providing a community response to domestic abuse and by working with the most appropriate partners, whether they are statutory agencies or other voluntary organisations, to find accommodation, provide a bridge to other services, provide a support and advocacy service, accompany clients to appointments, and carry out risk assessments and safety planning. Clients are offered the assistance that is most appropriate to them and their circumstances. That might involve information, advice and guidance, personal development, one-to-one support or small group work.
An exciting development for the organisation this year has been a pilot project that has created the opportunity to provide much-needed outreach and a one-to-one service, which was identified as an unmet need. In addition to working directly with women who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse, the project works to raise awareness of issues through training and speaking to other groups and agencies, including health, housing and education services.
In the past three years, the project has helped about 400 people to regain control of their lives. Many of the women who use the services go on to become involved in the community through informal learning and volunteering opportunities, and some gain full-time employment.
The project supports one of my favourite community organisations, which is WAVES—Women Against Violent Environments. I wish that there was no need for that organisation, but it does tremendous work. It is a peer-support group that is based in Castlemilk. Through it, women get together to discuss issues, and families are taken on outings. More important is that the group allows women to meet and chat in relaxed surroundings, which reduces isolation and aids the recovery process.
Society still has a long way to go to deal with violence against women. Until we get there, organisations such as the Domestic Abuse Project, WAVES and others have a crucial role to play in supporting those who are affected by such violence and in helping them to move on from it positively.
I thank Jamie Hepburn again for securing the debate. I also thank White Ribbon Scotland and wish it all the best in its campaign over the 16 days. I congratulate it on its continuing good work to protect women throughout Scotland.
17:32
I, too, congratulate Jamie Hepburn on securing the debate.
Almost half of women in the United Kingdom experience domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. Violence against women causes more deaths and disability among women who are aged 15 to 44 than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war. Two women are killed per week as a result of domestic abuse. Those are just some of the chilling statistics that are cited by White Ribbon Scotland and which demonstrate the white ribbon campaign’s importance.
Despite the previous Scottish Executive’s efforts to use groundbreaking and hard-hitting advertising campaigns that contained clear messages about there being no excuse for domestic abuse, and despite the current Government’s efforts, the numbers who are reporting abuse continue to rise. As other members have said, we need to recognise that the abuse of women is rooted in gender inequalities. It is fundamentally about differences in power between men and women. We need to do more to prevent abuse from happening and to change society’s attitudes and values.
The debate recognises all of that. Jamie Hepburn outlined the importance of the white ribbon campaign, so I will not go on about the significance of the 16 days. I will just repeat what he said—that women’s rights are fundamentally about human rights and concern us all.
We need to support and work with White Ribbon Scotland and other organisations such as Zero Tolerance, Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid to challenge all violence against women. I commend the campaign entitled “Together we can stop it”, which Women’s Aid has launched. It makes real the stories that lie behind the statistics. It is challenging behaviour and giving women confidence to report incidents.
I acknowledge that the responses from the police and the courts are constantly improving. I highlight the significant contribution that has been made to women’s experience of the justice system by the success of the domestic abuse court in Glasgow, which has been rolled out to Edinburgh and which I believe is being piloted in Livingston. I commend the police for launching a nationwide festive campaign to tackle domestic abuse. I must be honest and say that I wish that we did not have to have all these campaigns, but we must look at how they contribute to the whole process, which is about changing attitudes.
Something that is not often mentioned is the Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011, which was passed by the Parliament and is approaching its first anniversary. Two orders have been served under the act, and two more are pending. That is a small but important step for women, but we must be relentless in our pursuit of the issue.
We must focus on two fronts. First, we must focus on services, for which there is a continuing need. From the most recent census, Scottish Women’s Aid identified that 22 per cent of women who requested accommodation had their needs met, which means that 78 per cent of women did not. There is a continuing problem in that regard. Secondly, we must change attitudes in society. We must challenge gender inequality, as it is only when we start to do so that we will make a sustained difference.
17:35
I will try to be brief. I congratulate Jamie Hepburn on bringing the debate to the chamber, and I commend Malcolm Chisholm for getting through his speech so rapidly, although I could still understand every word that he said. Given the limited time, I will not repeat what other members have said, but I agree with every sentiment that has been expressed during the debate.
There are various support mechanisms for women in Aberdeenshire, and I will speak about one in particular: the domestic abuse team. It is there to respond to people who contact it by phone, and it is willing to speak to people over the phone or to arrange to meet them to discuss how they can best get out of the dreadful situation in which many women find themselves.
Members have said that the issue is to do with inequality, which is true. We need a culture change. Men do not have the right of control over women, and it is high time that men acknowledged that. Men are the perpetrators and—perhaps because of culture, education, masculinity or sport—they believe that they have such a right when they do not.
We need to find ways to break down that culture. Domestic violence is abhorrent and should not happen. Young children should never witness violence at home or in the street, most of which is against women.
We have a lot of work to do, perhaps through education in the early days. We must try to ensure that women attain gender equality. Once again, I commend Jamie Hepburn and the other members for their comments this evening.
17:38
I congratulate Jamie Hepburn on bringing such an important issue to the chamber. Violence against women is unacceptable and abhorrent, and it has no place in Scotland. The international day for the elimination of violence against women and the 16 days of activism against gender violence demonstrate the solidarity of women around the world, which is to be commended.
I also commend the white ribbon campaign, which is a campaign for men in Scotland who want to end violence against women. It is part of an international campaign in more than 55 countries, which is the largest effort in the world by men who work to end violence against women. I say well done to Jamie Hepburn for lodging the motion and for bringing the debate to the chamber.
The statistics are depressing. In Scotland, nearly 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in 2011-12, which is a 7 per cent increase on the 2010-11 figures. Since 2002-03, there has been a 67 per cent increase in recorded incidents of domestic abuse, and there are currently 163 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police each day.
I noted from one of the local papers in my area, the Kirkintilloch Herald, that
“more women are killed ... as a result of male violence than car accidents, cancer, malaria and war combined.”
That fact drew me up short and shocked me.
There are also women who do not report crime because they believe that it is a private family matter. We have to encourage them to believe that it is nothing like that at all. They must have the courage to come forward and report such unacceptable behaviour.
There are women who are frightened that reporting the violence will make it worse. We need to encourage them and let them know that the only thing that will make it worse is not reporting it. When it is reported, it must be tackled.
It is vital that help is made available for women who are fleeing violence. We should recognise the valuable work of many voluntary groups in that regard. Members have already paid tribute to some of them, and I have recently visited organisations in my own area that do excellent work to support and protect women and children who are fleeing from domestic abuse. My most recent visits were to Renfrewshire Women’s Aid and Inverclyde Women’s Aid, who do fantastic work to support women and their families.
I also pay tribute to the Women’s Support Project. That is a feminist voluntary organisation that is recognised as a Scottish charity. It works to raise awareness of the extent, causes and effects of male violence against women, and works for improved services for those who are affected by violence. A lot of positive work is being done out there.
We must never forget children, and some members have already alluded to them. Tragically, children can also be victims because they are often present when incidents of abuse occur. On my visit to Inverclyde Women’s Aid, I was delighted to learn that it is running classes in schools about healthy relationships to try to reverse the trend of domestic abuse and explain to children that things can be done in a different way and there is a different way to live their lives.
Domestic violence is a stain on Scotland. We must tackle it, encourage women to come forward, and support them when they do. As Dennis Robertson said, we must change this pernicious culture because it still exists. All credit to Jamie Hepburn—tonight’s debate is testament to the political commitment in the Scottish Parliament to providing that encouragement and support.
17:41
I also thank Jamie Hepburn for bringing this very important debate to the chamber and highlighting the work of White Ribbon Scotland.
Domestic abuse can and does affect far too many women in Scotland, and yet so many suffer in silence. Today, we send a clear message that there is no place for domestic abuse. For two days last week, white ribbon campaigners held a roadshow in the Rivergate mall in Irvine to promote the 16 days of action. That was only one of the many events that are taking place in North Ayrshire. Irvine Rugby Club showed its support for the campaign before its game, and the majority of football clubs in North Ayrshire have also signed up to it.
During the next two weeks, there will be a workshop at Garnock academy, displays of women authors at all North Ayrshire libraries, and a screening of an animation that was produced by local school pupils with support from North Ayrshire Women’s Aid. The aim is to get young people, particularly young men, engaged with the campaign while shedding light on the problem of domestic abuse.
Worryingly, during 2011 almost 2,000 incidents of domestic abuse were reported in North Ayrshire, which makes it one of the worst areas in the west of Scotland. It is hoped that those figures will be reduced this year because of the preventative work that is being undertaken by the domestic abuse task force and a range of initiatives working with White Ribbon Scotland and other organisations. Strathclyde Police is targeting offenders and delivering a programme of education that, it hopes, will change attitudes, alter behaviour, and break the cycle of domestic violence in our area.
Young people who see domestic abuse when they are growing up think that it is normal and they sadly go on to be abusers. That is why the white ribbon campaign is so important in its reaching out to young men and boys, showing them role models that set good examples, and letting them know that violence against women is not acceptable in any situation.
We also need to make sure that there is support for the women who come forward. Third Force News recently reported that two out of three women who come to refuge accommodation are being turned away and that funding at ground level is becoming increasingly stretched for the services that face high demand. Given that a report of domestic abuse is made every 10 minutes in Scotland, we cannot afford for those services to be underfunded; otherwise, in all likelihood, women will not feel safe enough to come forward.
Progress has been made, but domestic abuse is still far too common in Scotland. We need to break the cycle by educating children, raising awareness and promoting key services. I congratulate the work of White Ribbon Scotland, because we must rid Scotland of domestic abuse and let offenders know that it will not be tolerated.
17:45
I, too, thank Jamie Hepburn for bringing the debate to the Parliament. I declare an interest on the issue, as I am a board member of Rape Crisis in central Scotland. One of my tasks over a good number of years has been to attempt, when possible, to send the message that violence or abuse by men against women and children is unacceptable. I have endeavoured to target male-dominated forums and institutions and to highlight the fact that, although the issue is typically defined as a women’s issue, that is a mile off the mark. The reason why I believe that is that 80 per cent of such crimes are committed by men on women, so, in my book, it is very much a man’s problem and the only ones who can remedy it are men, by their actions.
That is not to fail to recognise or in any way minimise the important work that women have done on the issue over generations. When I was growing up, matters such as men beating or abusing their wives were dealt with almost exclusively by women, who would, for the most part, have to do the vital support work quietly and in most cases on their own, separately from men. It took the work of women in families or small extended groups, which at that time were not supported by the public purse, to fight for women’s right to be protected from abusive men.
Things have moved on since then and there has been a substantial increase in the number of organisations that campaign in the interests of women. I believe that progress has been made in that regard. However, work still needs to be done to highlight the issue further among the male population because, by and large, the issue remains outside the mainstream consciousness of men. That said, we are making progress.
I am pleased that so many male members of the Parliament are speaking in the debate. The issue crosses party-political lines. As parliamentarians, we all have a duty to do what we can to counter the issue as often as possible and to highlight the immorality that is violence against women and children. I am pleased that, since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, each Administration has adopted a strong approach to tackling the issue.
My message to men is simply that they should influence their male friends and spread the word across society that violence against women is not a women’s issue and that it is men’s responsibility to stop what is going on.
17:48
I congratulate Jamie Hepburn on securing this important debate and I pay tribute to the work of the white ribbon campaign, which is run to show that men will not condone violence against women. Like other members, I believe that we have come a long way in tackling violence against women and we have made much progress. Much of that has been done since the creation of the Parliament with its devolved responsibilities.
Many of the responses have been driven by Scottish Women’s Aid and other groups that have secured cross-party support for progress. I welcome the fact that we have come so far, but I must admit that we have far to go. I hope that we can build on that progress by criminalising the purchase of sex. Prostitution leads to vulnerable people—mostly women—being coerced to have sex in return for payment, either in cash or in kind. For the most part, people are coerced by poverty and the need for money—often, they are single parents or have drug and alcohol problems. Others are coerced by abusive partners or pimps, and we see greater numbers of people being trafficked into our society.
Young people coming out of care are a prime target for those who would profit from selling other human beings, yet we criminalise the victims while those who feed the industry by their demand get off scot free. Those who purchase sex need to understand the damage that their behaviour causes. They cannot buy consent. The impact of their actions is that many prostitutes suffer post-traumatic stress and mental health problems, not to mention the physical effects, which include assault and rape. That is unacceptable in a modern Scotland and I hope that we can build the same consensus and tackle that aspect of violence against women.
Finally, I call Drew Smith.
17:50
I am grateful to you, Presiding Officer. I was not sure whether I would get the chance to speak in the debate, so I am glad that you have managed to squeeze me in.
Earlier, we debated the media. In noting the juxtaposition of that debate with this one, I was struck by the fact that, in the Evening Times and STV Glasgow’s online news, barely a week goes by without our seeing news of a violent attack in Glasgow city centre or somewhere in the city. Sometimes, such attacks are connected with prostitution, but there are also stranger attacks and a range of other incidents. We can only guess at the number of women who live in fear of violence behind closed doors, at home.
Violence is a whole-of-society issue and one that crosses class. We have talked about the debate on football and whether there is a connection, with increases in domestic violence around football matches. However, we need to remember that violence against women is something that happens in every section of our society, including among groups of men that we perhaps might not suspect. I am also struck by the fact that there was a violent attack in Glasgow this week in which a man was raped. However, we need to remember that 85 per cent of domestic violence is committed by men against women, so a proper effort to tackle domestic violence needs to be informed by a gender analysis.
The truth is that violence against women exists in our society because too many of us tolerate it. As Gil Paterson rightly said, it is important that so many of us are here in the Parliament tonight to make our views known. In my view, discrimination against women is a contributory factor to our toleration of men’s violence against women, as are men’s attitudes to the sexualisation of women and girls. We should be prepared to say clearly that sex is not a right and that men have no right to demand it, nor to seek it through violence or the threat of violence.
On my way to the Parliament this morning, I listened to my colleague Kezia Dugdale on the radio discussing the issue of everyday sexism. There is no doubt in my mind that there are connections between discrimination, how we view women, the image that we create for young girls and the issues of violence in our society.
Recently, I met John Carnochan of the violence reduction unit, and I was impressed by what he told me about the international best practice that exists around encouraging men and everyone in society to interrupt violent abuse where challenging it directly might be not possible. I look forward to the violence reduction unit bringing forward its future work programme and its ideas about how we might implement some of that in Scotland.
In my view, violence against women by men is more than a symbol of societal sexism. As Gil Paterson rightly said, violence in our society, in homes and on our streets is not just a women’s issue, but it remains an issue on which a gender analysis is vital. Real men neither hit women nor tolerate other men hitting women.
I commend Jamie Hepburn and indeed all the speakers in this debate. Thank you for the opportunity to take part, Presiding Officer.
I thank all members for their disciplined approach to time, which allowed me to call everyone who wished to speak.
I call Alex Neil to wind up the debate. No more than seven minutes, please, cabinet secretary.
17:53
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will try to be as disciplined as everybody else.
I join other members in congratulating Jamie Hepburn on securing this debate, and I also congratulate White Ribbon Scotland on its tremendous efforts, including in the Parliament today. I welcome to the gallery members of Scottish Women’s Aid and other organisations.
Violence against women is an issue on which we are totally united as a Parliament, not just in abhorring it, but in our underlying analysis that it is a gender-based problem and that fundamental to understanding it are the basic inequalities between men and women in our society.
I have been a member of the Parliament for 13 years and, over that period, a number of members who have spoken in the debate have dedicated a lot of time and effort to the campaign, including the Presiding Officer. We are working together as a Parliament on the issue—it is not a Government-versus-Parliament issue—but we must also work with our key partners in the voluntary sector, the local authorities and the police. Our objective should be not just to reduce violence against women, but to eliminate it, although, as Rhoda Grant rightly said, we have a long way to go before we can achieve that objective.
The Government is tackling the issue in four ways. First, it is educating our young people, in particular, to develop healthy relationships and to equip themselves with the skills that they need to challenge inappropriate behaviour when it occurs. Drew Smith is absolutely right that we should challenge inappropriate behaviour at all times in all settings.
Secondly, the Government is funding the violence reduction unit to deliver the mentors in violence prevention pilots, which encourage young people to take a stand against harassment, abuse and violence. We are providing £20,000 to help with the roll-out of the project in 2012 and again in 2013.
Thirdly, the Government is implementing legislation that provides protection for victims, such as the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011, which came into force in July 2011, and the Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011, which I had the pleasure—if it was a pleasure—of piloting through the Parliament; we should not need such legislation in the 21st century, but we do. The Forced Marriage etc (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 provides protection for women who are at risk of forced marriage and the violence that is often associated with it. As Jackie Baillie rightly pointed out, we are tackling the issue through orders under that act.
Finally, we are supporting the continued work of organisations that promote awareness of the issue and which campaign for an end to violence against women. I am referring to organisations such as Scottish Women’s Aid, which Malcolm Chisholm and Gil Paterson mentioned, and local aid groups and rape crisis centres, which play a vital role. At a time when we are having to make cuts, I have been doing my best—like my predecessor Nicola Sturgeon—to protect the budget for tackling violence against women, which is a fairly modest budget to begin with. I hope that all the local authorities in Scotland, regardless of their political persuasion, will not see it as an easy area in which to reduce funding, because such work is essential. In many ways, to reduce such funding is to cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face, because reducing funding for, say, Women’s Aid groups results in far bigger bills having to be paid from other budgets. Therefore, spending on up-front measures to protect women should not be cut.
I turn to the 16 days of activism against gender violence campaign, which provides an appropriate opportunity to recognise the fact that violence against women is a violation of women’s human rights. That message lies at the heart of the white ribbon campaign. The Government fully supports the campaign, which, as Jamie Hepburn said, has grown from its roots in Canada to be an international education and awareness-raising initiative that engages men in a positive way to take action on an issue that has traditionally been seen as a woman’s concern. White ribbons are worn proudly, including by me today. We have provided funding of £180,000 for the period 2012 to 2015, specifically for White Ribbon Scotland. I am proud of the fact that we are doing that.
More generally, funding for work to address violence against women has been maintained at £34.5 million, which represents a 62 per cent increase on funding in previous times. That is not a party-political point; it simply represents a commitment by the Parliament that is totally supported by all the parties to continue to fund such essential services in this time of austerity.
At the end of the day, the issue is not about money, primarily. It is about attitude and culture. It is about men behaving well towards women. There is absolutely no excuse for any violence against any woman by any man anywhere. We are united and determined in sending out that message from the Parliament of Scotland to the people of Scotland, which is what this evening’s debate has done.
Meeting closed at 17:59.