Given the disturbing trends with regards to violence against women and girls, alongside the differential impact on women that the restrictions had, we wish to urge you to reconsider the scope of the inquiry to include consideration of the effects of, and strategic response to, the increase in harm done to women and girls during the pandemic. The latest published Scottish Government crime statistics compare data since the start of the pandemic: “Crimes under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 increased by 7% compared to February 2021 (from 128 to 137 crimes) and were 8% higher than in February 2020 (decreasing (sic) from 127 to 137 crimes).