Violence against women and girls (VAWG)

Our vision is of a strong and flourishing Scotland where all individuals are equally safe and respected, and where women and girls live free from all forms of violence and abuse, as well as the attitudes that perpetuate it.

Actions

We are:

• implementing Equally Safe: Scotland's strategy for preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls
• investing record levels of funding for prevention and support projects
• strengthening the law to give victims better protection, improve courts' responses, hold those committing these crimes to account and improve public safety
• implementing our Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) National Action Plan
• delivering increased protection for people trapped in, or under the threat of, forced marriage
• taking action to improve forensic medical services for victims of rape and sexual assault

Background

We use VAWG to refer to a range of actions that harm, or cause suffering and indignity to, women and children. These include but are not limited to:

• physical, sexual and psychological violence in the family, general community or institutions. This includes domestic abuse, rape, incest and child sexual abuse
• sexual harassment and intimidation at work and in public
• commercial sexual exploitation including prostitution, pornography and trafficking
• so called 'honour based' violence, including dowry-related violence, female genital mutilation, forced and child marriages and 'honour' crimes

We believe that there are links between VAWG and inequality between men and women. The paper we produced in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), What does gender have to do with violence against women?, explains our position.

Bills and legislation

Current bill: Domestic Abuse Scotland Bill

Other relevant legislation:

• the Human Rights Act (1988)
• the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004
• the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005
• the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation (Scotland) Act 2005 made it a criminal offence to have female genital mutilation carried out in Scotland or abroad, and increased the maximum penalty from five to 14 years imprisonment
• the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007
• the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 brought Scots law on sexual offences into a single act, and provided a statutory definition of consent
• the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2011
• the Children's Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011
• the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 gave courts the power to issue protection orders to those at risk of forced marriage
• the Children and Young People Scotland Act 2014
• the Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 improved the information and support available to victims and witnesses dealing with Scotland's justice system
• the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 is UK-wide legislation which made forced marriage a specific criminal offence
• the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015

Contact

Email: ceu@gov.scot – Central Enquiry Unit

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

Post:
Scottish Government
Equality Unit
Directorate for Local Government and Communities
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ