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Minister for Equalities and Older People submission of 21 February 2022

PE1909/F – Remove the "gender-based crime" domestic abuse narrative and make it gender neutral and equal

Thank you for your letter of 24 January 2022, in which the Committee seeks further details about the Scottish Government’s intention for a strategy on ending intimate and sexual violence against men and boys.

As the statistics stated in the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government’s previous letter of 18 November 2021 highlight, the causes and consequences of violence are different for men and women, as are the approaches that we need to take to prevent and eradicate that violence.

Domestic and intimate partner violence, in all its forms, has no place in Scotland. The Scottish Government are absolutely clear that there is no excuse for intimate partner abuse, regardless of the gender of the victim, or of the perpetrator.

I would like to reiterate that the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint strategy to prevent and eradicate violence against women and girls, Equally Safe, is underpinned by a gendered analysis which recognises that women and girls are disproportionately affected by certain forms of violence and abuse precisely because they are women and girls. These forms of gender-based violence, which include domestic abuse, rape and sexual violence, are a function of gender inequality and an abuse of male power and privilege. In order to effectively tackle gender based violence, we need to challenge the outdated gender stereotypes and societal attitudes towards women and girls that enable it to continue.

Equally Safe acknowledges that men and boys can be victims of intimate partner violence. Furthermore, many of the actions within the delivery plan are intended to help everyone; such as an increased focus on education about concepts like consent and healthy relationships. There is also a focus on tackling negative gender roles and stereotypes that we know are harmful to men and women alike. 

In our most recent Programme for Government 2021-22 we committed to progress work to tackle violence against men and boys, investing in services which support male survivors of rape and domestic abuse.

I refer to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary which details current funding from the Delivering Equally Safe Fund for services targeted at supporting male victims of domestic abuse. I would also highlight the government’s Victim Centred Approach Fund based within the Justice portfolio, which is worth around £14.5m per year from 2022/23 – 2024/25. The Victim-Centred Approach Fund is a new Scottish Government funding programme which will enable organisations to provide practical and emotional support to all victims, survivors and witnesses of crime across Scotland. Applications to this fund are in the process of being assessed.

A national strategy on ending intimate and sexual violence against men and boys will reflect a broad range of cross-cutting issues. It involves collaboration across government portfolios: for Health, forensic medical services in terms of men/boys’ experience of sexual assault and violence, and public health in terms of healthy relationships; for Justice, in relation to how crime is experienced by men and boys; for Education, in relation to prevention, consent and relationships, and encompass LGBTI equality in relation to domestic or sexual abuse in men’s same sex relationships.

The work of the Chief Medical Officer Taskforce and the Public Health Scotland annual report, will lead to national data on the number of male victims who have had a forensic medical examination following rape and sexual assault. This will provide data on the number of forensic medical examinations carried out nationally and can be broken down by sex. This will provide partial baseline data on the scale and need for specific resources. We will consider the issues that affect men and boys specifically and gather insight on how to overcome current barriers to male survivors seeking support, specialist services, or reporting criminal behaviour.

The development of the strategy will progress over this year in line with Programme for Government. The intention is to engage and consult on the strategy by September 2022. We will be sure to move forward collaboratively, and draw on key stakeholders to inform the initial stages of the strategy.