Policy and Legislation
Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018
The law now recognises psychological harm, as well as physical harm, as an offence. This means that abusers engaging in patterns of coercive and controlling behaviour (behaviour that has taken place on two or more occasions) can now be punished by law.
Summary of how the offence works. For more information please visit safer.scot
Scottish Government & Equally Safe
Latest VAW Policy Actions: Violence Against Women and Girls Home
Improvement Service-Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Through coordinating the National VAW Network, the Improvement Service aims to support local councils and their partners to improve outcomes for women, children and young people affected by violence against women and girls.
Strategies, Action Plans and Guidance
UK Government Strategy: Tackling violence against women and girls Strategy 2021
Disclosure Scotland Scheme
The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland - DSDAS gives people the Right to Ask about the background of their partner. It also allows concerned relatives and friends, the right to ask about someone’s partner if they have been abusive in the past. DSDAS also gives Police Scotland the power to tell people that they may be at risk. This information can be given if it is not asked for. Where we have information that a person may be at harm of domestic abuse by their partner, we have the power to tell them. DSDAS allows people to make the choice on whether to remain in the relationship. Police Scotland and our partners can then help and support them.
Programmes
Equally Safe in Practice
Equally Safe in Practice (ESiP) focuses on developing a framework to support workforce development in a way that will work towards sustained attitudinal, behaviour and practice change.
The framework aims to equip the Scottish workforce with knowledge, understanding and the tools necessary to improve responses to VAWG and ensure safe and positive outcomes for women, children and young people. ESIP Resources
Equally Safe at Work
Equally Safe at Work is an innovative employer accreditation programme developed by Close the Gap. The programme aims to support employers to improve their employment practice to advance gender equality at work, and prevent violence against women.
Equally Safe at Work supports the implementation of Equally Safe, Scotland's national strategy to eradicate violence against women and girls. The strategy, which is jointly owned by Scottish Government and COSLA, recognises that violence against women is a cause and consequence of wider gender inequality. Addressing gender inequality in the workplace is therefore a fundamental step in preventing violence against women.
About Close the Gap - "Close the Gap is Scotland’s expert policy and advocacy organisation working on women’s labour market participation. We work with policymakers, employers and employees to influence and enable action to address the causes of women’s inequality at work. More information on Close the Gap's work is available on our website."
Resources containing further information about Equally Safe at Work, types of Violence Against Women and the impact these have in the workplace, can be found below. Sources of support are also listed:
Equally Safe Accreditation Programme
Equally Safe in Schools
Equally Safe at Schools (ESAS) has been developed by Rape Crisis Scotland in partnership with the University of Glasgow. It was designed and piloted in several schools in Scotland with support from Zero Tolerance and a wide range of other voluntary and statutory partners and stakeholders.
It is designed for secondary schools to take a holistic approach to preventing gender-based violence, consistent with the Scottish Government’s and COSLA's Equally Safe strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls.
ESAS is also designed to meet the health and wellbeing outcomes of the Curriculum for Excellence and other key frameworks such as Getting It Right For Every Child.
Mentors in Violence Prevention – peer education programme providing young people with the language and framework to explore and challenge the attitudes, beliefs and cultural norms that underpin gender-based violence, bullying and other forms of abuse.
