Equally Safe delivery plan: year one update

Introduction and Overview

Violence against women and girls is a fundamental violation of human rights. It has no place in our vision for a safe, strong and successful Scotland.

Equally Safe is Scotland’s Strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls (alternatively known as gender based violence). For the purposes of the strategy and this report, violence against women and girls includes (but is not limited to):

• Domestic abuse
• Sexual Violence (including harassment, sexual assault and rape and child sexual abuse)
• Commercial sexual exploitation
• Child sexual exploitation
• So called “Honour” based violence, including female genital mutilation and forced marriage.

The gendered analysis that underpins Equally Safe recognises that women and girls are disproportionately affected by violence precisely because of their gender. It recognises that this violence stems from deep rooted and systemic gender inequality and the subordinate position women occupy in society in relation to men.

We recognise we will not make progress unless we tackle the root causes of women’s inequality, and challenge the outdated gender stereotypes and societal attitudes towards women and girls that allow gender based violence to flourish. The Equally Safe Delivery Plan contains a total of 118 different actions across four overarching priorities in order to help us do this. The actions and activities in the plan are designed to deliver against these priorities and associated objectives. The purpose of this report is therefore to provide an insight and update into progress that has been made.

Our Priorities