New law to protect vulnerable people.
A new offence which makes it a crime to encourage or assist
another person to self-harm comes into effect in Scotland today
(31 January).
The offence can be committed online, in correspondence or
publications, or in-person and applies regardless of whether an
individual goes on to injure themselves or not. Anyone found
guilty of this crime can face up to five years in prison.
It is hoped it will act as a deterrent to anyone who sets out to
deliberately encourage others to self-harm and will create a
safer online environment, particularly for people who may be in
distress and looking for help on the internet.
Mental Wellbeing Minister said:
“We welcome this new offence which criminalises people who
encourage or assist another person to serious self-harm. It will
help to make the internet a safer place for everyone.
“We believe this new law aligns with our ambitious approach on
self-harm, which is laid out in our dedicated Self-harm Strategy
and Action Plan. It demonstrates our ambition to improve support
for people who self-harm - a critical part of which is ensuring
people are protected from harmful communications.”
Samaritans Scotland Executive Director Neil Mathers said:
“Samaritans Scotland welcomes new legislation to take action
against those who encourage or assist another person to engage in
serious self-harm.
“It is hugely important to keep people safe online and protected
from dangerous content and those wishing to cause harm.
“This legislation should only apply to those who encourage
self-harm in a deliberate and malicious way, and aims to deter
them from targeting vulnerable people.
“The internet can provide advice, helpful information and
supportive networks for people seeking help about self-harm. It
is crucially important that people can access this support, while
being kept safe from dangerous content and those wishing to cause
harm.”
Background
The offence under the Online Safety Act (2023) was extended to
Scotland through a Legislative Consent Motion agreed in the
Scottish Parliament on 29 June 2023.
The Self-harm Strategy and
Action Plan was published jointly with COSLA on 28 November
2023.
