Young People in Scotland Survey 2021: attitudes to violence against women and girls

Annex A: Scottish Government policy initiatives

The Scottish Government adopts a broad definition of violence against women and girls which corresponds with the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women.^[9] The definition refers to 'a range of actions that harm, or cause suffering and indignity to, women and children',^[10] including:

• physical, sexual, and psychological violence in the family, general community or institutions, including 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

Each of the forms of violence incorporated within the Scottish Government definition represent 'forms of control and abuse of power'.^[11] They are often perpetrated by the same men, with many women experiencing more than one type of violence.^[12]

Equally Safe is Scotland's strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls in Scotland and sets out the strategic framework in which this work is taken forward. It recognises that by promoting gender equality, preventing gender based violence and responding effectively when it occurs, we can change the attitudes that permit violence and abuse to flourish. Responsibility for this strategy sits across multiple teams in the Scottish Government and with COSLA. The Strategy has four key priorities:

• Scottish society embraces equality and mutual respect, and rejects all forms of violence against women and girls;
• Women and girls thrive as equal citizens: socially, culturally, economically and politically;
• Interventions are early and effective, preventing violence and maximising the safety and wellbeing of women, children and young people; and
• Men desist from all forms of violence against women and girls and perpetrators of such violence receive a robust and effective response.

The purpose of the Strategy is to foster collaborative working with key partners across all sectors, in a way that recognises that progress requires significant and sustained long term economic, social and cultural change. The strategy is underpinned by a delivery plan which identifies actions to the range of delivery partners to achieve the aims of the strategy.

Equally Safe prioritises primary prevention and challenges the notion that violence is inevitable or acceptable. Many of the actions being delivered under priorities one and two within the delivery plan are intended to raise awareness and challenge the existing attitudes that create the societal conditions for gender based violence to flourish. An example of this is the "Equally Safe at School" project^[13]. It was developed with Zero Tolerance and Rape Crisis Scotland and applies a whole school approach to tackling gender inequality and gender based violence in schools supported by a range of specialists resources for schools. By promoting gender equality, preventing gender based violence and responding effectively when it occurs, this model of prevention intervention has been shown to challenge and change the attitudes that permit sexual violence - equipping and empowering young people with the knowledge they need to navigate consent and healthy relationships.

The Scottish Government has also reviewed Personal and Social Education (PSE), including how the issue of sexual consent is taught in Scottish schools, and a PSE Lead Officers Network formed by Education Scotland is supporting implementation of the review recommendations. Furthermore, the Scottish Government are funding Rape Crisis Scotland to provide a National Sexual Violence Prevention Programme to local authority secondary schools across Scotland. The programme aims to provide consistency in approaches to the prevention of sexual violence and contributes to the Scottish Government's Equally Safe strategy. Since the programme's start in 2016 they have reached over 48,000 pupils.

The Equally Safe at Work programme recognises that everyone has the right to work and live their life free of abuse, harassment and intimidation. The Scottish Government has funded Close the Gap to develop an employer accreditation programme, working with local authorities to incorporate gender equality into their internal policies. The Scottish Government is also supporting Scottish Women's Aid in the development of Equally Safe in Practice, a model to increase capacity for training on gender based violence and the norms and cultures that perpetuate it for organisations across Scotland.