Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s 2021-22 Programme for Government included a commitment to progress work to tackle violence against men and boys, investing in services which support male survivors of rape and domestic abuse.

In line with our PfG commitment we have invested in services which support male survivors of abuse by funding the following organisations:

• Men’s Advice Line, who provide emotional support and practical advice and information for male victims of domestic abuse in Scotland.
• SACRO’s FearFree Project which supports male and LGBTI survivors of domestic violence.
• AMIS, a charity that support men experiencing domestic abuse through their national helpline, website and training services.
• The Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline to support both male and female victims and survivors.
• ASSIST, who as part of their work provide advocacy support to male survivors of domestic abuse in the West of Scotland and the Lothians.
• LGBT Domestic Abuse project, which works across Scotland to raise awareness and improve service responses of LGBT people's experiences of domestic abuse and other forms of gender based violence.

All legislative changes adopted to address domestic abuse and rape and sexual assault, such as the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 similarly protect both female and male victims.

Furthermore, Equally Safe, Scotland’s strategy to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women and girls, recognises that men and boys can also be victims of violence and abuse. Its focus on the disproportionate harm women and girls face due to this type of violence is in line with United Nations and World Health Organisation approaches, and enables us to meet our obligations under international human rights legislation such as CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention.