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
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.
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.
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 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 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.
Safe Lives knowledge hub Resources, news and views, policy and evidence, commissioning support and training – Safe Lives is a UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good.
Speaking Out Learning Resource The Speaking Out learning resource has been developed for use in secondary schools and by youth organisations in Scotland. Using material gathered as part of the Speaking Out oral history project, the resource aims to engage and develop discussions amongst young people on the connection between gender inequality and violence against women and girls.
Speaking Out Project Recalling Women’s Aid in Scotland was a two-year project which sought to discover, record, and celebrate the history of Women's Aid in Scotland - Publication, SWA archive, learning resource developed for young people, archive toolkit, oral history.
Women's Aid Information and support, downloads and resources, research, reports and publications, training and campaigns.
Scottish Women's Aid Information and support, research & projects and reports
Scottish Child Law Centre Empowering children, families and professionals with the law. Free and confidential legal advice about Scots Law in relation to children and young people, training on all aspects of child law in Scotland as it affects children and young people, and work with, and are a key stakeholder for local and central government constantly seeking to improve child law in Scotland.
Rape Crisis Scotland Working to End Sexual Violence - Support resource, reports and publications, statistics, programmes, media and campaigns.
Engender Research and policy, events and membership. Working to dismantle structural sexism to increase women’s social, political and economic equality, and enable women's rights. Intersectional, inclusive feminism, and work at Scottish, UK and international level to produce research, analysis, and recommendations for intersectional feminist legislation and programmes.
European Institute for Gender Equality Publications, resources, toolkits,guides, policy, news and events, statistics. An independent centre and the primary source for information on gender equality in the European Union.
Virtual World Real Fear Women's Aid Report on online abuse, harrassment and stalking (2014)
Domestic Abuse Awareness Raising Tool This online tool is a learning resource for professionals. It's an awareness-raising resource and serves as an introduction to domestic abuse and coercive control. The tool provides an overview of the main considerations when responding to domestic abuse, however it does not replace specialist domestic abuse training.
Safe Lives Training to help professionals recognise the signs of domestic abuse, understand the issues and respond quickly and effectively when a victim needs help.
Safe and Together Institute Courses, tools and training for Women's Sector, Child Welfare, Family Court, Men's Behaviour Change, Mental Health & Substance Abuse. Perpetrator pattern-based framework informed by a gender analysis that informs every aspect of work. It is a unique, comprehensive framework at the intersection of domestic violence and children. The goal of the Safe & Together Model is to create systems and practice change that is child-centered, keeping children safe and together with the protective parent. The effectiveness of the Model is measured by how domestic violence-informed agencies make this occur as much as possible.
Turas - NHS learning resource E-learning and other online resources on gender-based violence (GBV ), Domestic Abuse and Coercice Control. It is suitable for a range of healthcare professionals. You will need to set up your own Turas account which can be done easily and quickly for non NHS employees. There are a range of other e-learn courses available and further resources, such as National Trauma Training developed by NES.
Scottish Women's Aid Training and Events
Over 100 cases of domestic abuse take place in Shetland every year. There were 64,807 cases recorded in Scotland from 2021-22 - where gender information was recorded every 4 in 5 incidents of domestic abuse involved a female victim and a male suspected perpetrator. Domestic Abuse affects people across our community regardless of sex, race, age, religion, sexuality, income or lifestyle.
