Scottish First Minister has reinforced his personal
commitment to tackling violence against women and girls,
highlighting a series of meetings with survivors, frontline
organisations and public sector partners to shape further action
by the Scottish Government.
He said:
"Violence against women and girls is completely unacceptable.
There can be no excuses for it. Having listened to courageous
survivors such as Danielle MacDonald, I am more determined than
ever to use my leadership as First Minister to help drive the
change Scotland needs.
"For every woman who speaks out, there are many more who suffer
in silence, fearful of the consequences of disclosing an
escalation in their partner's abuse, not being believed, having
their children removed from them. We must ensure services work
together to identify abuse earlier, support survivors and hold
perpetrators to account.
"Scotland has made important progress in recent years. We have
strengthened laws, invested in specialist support services and
worked closely with partners through our Equally Safe strategy.
But the scale and persistence of violence against women and girls
shows that we must go further and faster.
"This week, I met organisations on the frontline supporting women
and girls affected by violence and abuse. Their message was
clear: if we are serious about ending male violence, we must also
tackle the inequality and harmful attitudes that allow it to
persist.
"Continuing this engagement, next week I will meet public sector
partners to identify further actions to strengthen Scotland's
response. These discussions will help shape the measures we take
forward in the Programme for Government.
"Government has a vital role to play, but lasting change requires
all of us to play our part. Men, in particular, must challenge
sexism, confront abusive behaviour and help create a culture
where every woman and girl can live free from violence, abuse and
fear."
