Publication - Strategy/plan

Equally Safe 2023 - preventing and eradicating violence against women and girls: strategy

Published: 7 December 2023
From: Director of Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights
Directorate: Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights Directorate
Topic: Equality and rights
ISBN: 9781835217573

The Scottish Government and COSLA's commitment to preventing and eradicating this violence and addressing the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it.

Supporting documents

Violence Against Women and Girls in Scotland

14,602 sexual crimes were recorded by Police Scotland in 2022-23.ⁱ

The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey 2019-2020 showed that only 22% of victims/survivors of rape reported it to the police.ⁱⁱ

At least 37% of the 14,602 sexual crimes recorded in 2022-23 by the police related to a victim under the age of 18.ⁱⁱⁱ

There has been a notable decrease in the extent to which people agree with rape myths since 2014. In 2019, 8% of people in Scotland thought that ‘women often lie about being raped’ (down from 23% in 2014).

28% believed that ‘rape results from men being unable to control their need for sex’ (37% in 2014).^iv

However, this still equates to one in ten people in Scotland thinking that ’women often lie about being raped’ and nearly one in three continuing to believe that ‘rape results from men being unable to control their need for sex’.

3,830 sexual crimes were cyber-crimes in 2022-23.^v That has increased from 1,100 in 2013-14.

More than one in six women in Scotland has experienced online violence.^vi

1,928 online child sexual abuse crimes were recorded in Scotland in 2022-23, a 6.6% increase (20 more crimes) on the five-year mean.

64,807 domestic abuse incidents were recorded by Police Scotland in 2021-22.

Around four out of five (81%) of these incidents had a female victim and a male perpetrator.^vii

The 2019/20 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey found that just under one-sixth (16%) of those who experienced partner abuse in the 12 months prior to interview said that the police came to know about the most recent (or only) incident.^viii

In Scotland, 37% of girls and young women aged 16 to 21 say that “I am often stared at and receive unwanted attention when I go outside”, as do 12% of 11- to 16-year-old girls.^ix

A quarter (24.5%) of women who have experienced financial abuse from a partner in the UK are over 60 years of age.^x

Children and young people under 18 are responsible for at least a third of recorded sexual offences against children and young people in the UK.^xi

1 in 5 female students in higher education experiences sexual harassment, and one in four experiences sexual assault.

Over half of all students who have experienced sexual assault and/or sexual harassment experienced it on campus.^xii

When asked for their views on teenage girls/boys aged 14-15 watching pornography, a quarter of adults (25%) agreed that it was normal for teenage boys, compared to 15% for teenage girls.^xiii

Disabled women in the UK are twice as likely to experience men’s violence as non-disabled women.^xiv

In the UK Black and minority ethnic (BME) and migrant women in the UK face higher levels of domestic homicide and abuse driven suicide.^xv

BME women referred to MARAC typically self-report suffering abuse 1.5 times longer before getting help than people who identify as White, British or Irish. One in four BME victim/survivors report needing the aid of an interpreter to communicate effectively and one in five report having no recourse to public funds.^xvi