Official Report 1104KB pdf
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-15735, in the name of Kaukab Stewart, on empowering young people’s voices in tackling violence against women and girls. I invite those members who wish to participate in the debate to press their request-to-speak button.
15:41
I am proud to open our debate to mark the annual 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign, which calls for everyone to imagine a Scotland that is free from violence against women and girls.
Last year, Zero Tolerance worked with a group of women who were asked to imagine just that. The film that they created was full of words such as “respected” and “free”. They thought that Scotland would be busy because so many more women and girls would be in public spaces, laughing, talking and having fun.
Sadly, as 2024 draws to a close, violence, abuse and misogyny remain an everyday and detrimental reality for women and girls in Scotland and internationally.
I am proud of our contribution to tackling this global issue and I am pleased to announce the launch of the new phase of our Police Scotland partnership programme with the police services of Malawi and Zambia. Through our international development fund, the new programme will continue to tackle violence against women and children.
Although we have our differences across the chamber, I am sure that we can be unanimous in recognising the importance of the global 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
Violence against women and girls has no place in Scotland. As Taylor Swift sang in her song “Starlight”,
“Don’t you dream impossible things?”
A Scotland without violence against women is not an impossible thing, but it is a bold and ambitious goal. As parliamentarians, we can demonstrate through our collective voice that we are united in our ambition to end that blight on our society.
A significant message from a recent debate in the Scottish Youth Parliament was the importance of respectful dialogue and the recognition that young people’s voices are an integral part of the movement to tackle the issue. I welcome members of the Scottish Youth Parliament who are present in the chamber and I thank them for eloquently voicing the concerns of young people on this topic during their debate. As I promised them, we will use their debate to inform the debate on today’s motion by emphasising the importance of meaningful engagement with children and young people.
The Scottish Government has a bold ambition to make Scotland the best place in the world in which to grow up. An act that was fully commenced in July 2024 incorporates into Scots law, within the limits of our devolved competence, the rights and obligations set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The right of children to have their views heard and taken seriously is a guiding general principle of the UNCRC, and we are committed to ensuring that children and young people are at the heart of decisions that affect them. That is why a member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, Olivia Brown, has a representative voice on the equally safe joint strategic board, which oversees and supports the work to tackle violence against women and girls through our equally safe delivery plan.
The issues raised in the Scottish Youth Parliament debate, including technology-facilitated abuse, are reflected in many of the deliverables in the plan. Online abuse is a key issue affecting young people, and we recognise the harm and distress that it causes those who are targeted. I saw that for myself on a recent visit to Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, where young people had been supported to develop an awareness-raising exhibition that focused on mainstream and social media handling of violence against women.
Keeping children and young people in Scotland safe from online harm is a priority for the Scottish Government. Although the regulation of the internet is a reserved matter, we will continue to engage with the United Kingdom Government and Ofcom on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023 and ensure that there are improved protections to keep children safe online.
I want us to lead from the front. That is why our equally safe delivery plan has a commitment that I convene a media summit to bring together key players from across all forms of media, including social media, to formulate a progressive and united approach to challenging violence and abuse.
Furthermore, in collaboration with Education Scotland, we have ensured that digital literacy, including internet safety and cyber resilience, is an integral part of the school curriculum. The Parent Club website also provides information and advice to parents on how to keep children safe online.
On 18 November, the Minister for Victims and Community Safety attended the launch of a sextortion campaign. It was launched to respond to the growing incidence of sextortion over the past 12 months in Scotland. The campaign was a collaboration between fearless, which is a Crimestoppers service, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. Importantly, it has been co-designed with teenagers, the group most affected by the issue. The collaborative model is one that I am keen to see replicated in other areas of our work.
In recognition of the prevalence of harmful sexual behaviour for young people, we continue to implement the equally safe at school project. Developed by Zero Tolerance and Rape Crisis Scotland, the project works to prevent gender-based violence and to increase confidence and skills in order to respond accordingly.
Do the Scottish Government and the minister believe that one of the best ways to improve the situation with violence against women and girls is through education and educating young people?
Minister, I will give you the time back.
I agree, and I am glad that the member has given me the opportunity to re-emphasise my point and celebrate the important work of Education Scotland and our teachers up and down the country.
Our mentors in violence prevention Scotland programme addresses gender stereotyping and harmful attitudes that condone violence against women and girls. In addition, the gender equality task force in education and learning focuses on eradicating systemic gender equality in education.
I pay tribute to the role that the sector has played in supporting women, children and young people who have experienced violence, abuse and exploitation. I witnessed at first hand on a visit to Monklands Women’s Aid at the start of the 16 days how its work saves and transforms lives. I am fully aware that these are challenging times for the sector and the services are under enormous strain. I want the sector to know that I am committed to continuing the Government’s support for the vital work that it does. That is why I am pleased that, earlier today, I was able to confirm my commitment to the delivering equally safe fund and advise current recipients of our intention to extend the fund until March 2026.
I want the Parliament not just to imagine a better future for women and girls but to be the driving force for change and the elimination of violence against women and girls.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises the international 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign 2024; further recognises the vital contribution that the sector has made this year to tackle violence against women and girls, in particular the role that it has played in supporting children and young people who have experienced violence, abuse and exploitation; welcomes this year’s debate at the Scottish Youth Parliament, which challenged politicians to ensure that the youth voice is central to action to address gender-based violence; recognises the importance of working with young people to ensure that their experience and expertise are harnessed to build a future that is equally safe; further recognises and champions the importance of education as an early and ongoing strand of prevention; condemns misogyny and all forms of violence against women and girls, and acknowledges the significant harm that they cause to individuals and wider society.
15:51
As we mark the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, the scourge of violence against women and girls continues to stain society in Scotland, in the United Kingdom and across the world.
The figures are spine-chilling. In Scotland last year, 1,721 young women and girls aged 18 or under reported domestic abuse and 405 girls under the age of 16 reported rape or attempted rape. Up to 90 per cent of women and girls with learning disabilities have been sexually abused. That is just the tip of the iceberg. It is an outrage. It is utterly shameful, and it must end. However, public outcry is not enough.
The criminal justice system has a vital role to play in tackling that violence but, as Fiona Mackenzie from the “We can’t consent to this” campaign has emphasised, we cannot prosecute our way out of that crisis. We must tackle the root causes, as well as the conviction rate.
Karen Ingala Smith, who spearheaded the counting dead women campaign, argues in her book “Defending Women’s Spaces” that
“Men’s violence against women is more than a number of individual acts perpetrated by individual men … it is a social and political issue.”
She is right, of course. It is about sex inequality and challenging attitudes and behaviours that enable men’s violence against women. It is about power and control.
Misogyny has loomed large over the lives of women and girls since the dawn of time, but in the era of TikTok and toxic influencers such as Andrew Tate, misogyny has become radicalised and amplified. Pornography—freely available and readily accessible—glorifies the objectification and subjugation of women. It has become mainstream online entertainment and it normalises sexual violence. All that has further devalued and commoditised women and girls, and our focus must be on challenging and dismantling those attitudes.
Last week, I lodged a motion in the Scottish Parliament—which I am pleased has received cross-party support—to pay tribute to Gisèle Pelicot. The words of that remarkable woman—
“it’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them”—
resonated loudly throughout the world.
However, where are the men? That question was posed at an event that I co-sponsored with Claire Baker last night. Hosted by Beira’s Place, it discussed the dangerous and destructive practice of non-fatal strangulation. With the exception of Russell Findlay, the room was full of women. It was exactly the same at Pam Gosal’s event with For Women Scotland the previous day, which touched on the prevalence of pornography in schools. This is not about middle-class women of a certain age—although I fall into that category—but about women and girls of every age and every imaginable demographic. It is about the beliefs, attitudes and actions of men—and how can those ever change if men in positions of influence do not show up?
I agree with the Scottish Government that education is key. There is a lot that Police Scotland has got wrong when it comes to women, but the “Don’t be that guy” campaign was powerful. It challenged the behaviour of men, not women, who for too long have been forced to modify what they wear and what they do to protect their safety. That kind of messaging must be repeated and reinforced as much as possible, if it is to successfully unpick the impact of misogyny and pornography.
Earlier this week, Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, described the
“onslaught on women-specific language”
as a
“new form of #ViolenceAgainstWomen”.
Today, this is a consensual debate, but it is a debate that is taking place just days after the Supreme Court met to decide what counts as a woman. That ambiguity was created by the Scottish National Party Government. If our own Government cannot define a woman, how can it plausibly secure our safety?
When vulnerable women and girls cannot rely on single-sex spaces to support them after experiencing violence and sexual abuse because of that ambiguity, where do they turn? Where do they go? When a member of the Scottish Parliament is wrongly accused of being transphobic for standing up for women’s rights, as I was yesterday by Patrick Harvie, what signal does that kind of bullying send not just to women and girls but to men and boys? It is shameful.
Will the member take an intervention?
Will I get the time back?
You will get the time back.
Will the member accept that, under the Equality Act 2010, single-sex spaces are absolutely a right?
I am glad that the minister has said that. I would like her to share that with her colleagues and make sure that it is enshrined, and to say that to the King’s counsel who represented the Government, who needed a flow diagram to describe this. The minister should have a conversation with her very own Government KC.
Today’s debate is an opportunity to take stock, to call for greater accountability and to demand renewed action. Violence against women and girls can and must be prevented, but to get there the Government and the Parliament must look inwards as well as outwards.
15:57
I thank the minister for bringing the motion to the chamber, as we mark the 16 days of activism, and for the cross-party nature of the debate. The 16 days of activism developed from the international day for the elimination of violence against women, which we mark on 25 November. It was established in 1981 by Latin American and Caribbean feminists and then adopted by the UN.
Despite the 16 days of activism having been marked since 1999, we all know that a huge amount still remains to be done. I welcome the focus of the motion, which highlights the importance of education and of listening to younger people on how we can address women’s inequality. Ninety-three per cent of young people who were recently consulted by the Scottish Youth Parliament agreed that many girls and women feel unsafe in public spaces.
We know that violence against women is endemic across the world, and I welcome what the minister has said about the Scottish Government’s international work. However, we also know that, as the minister also said, we have very high levels of violence against women and girls in Scotland. As Tess White said, that is an outrage. The only way that will change is if we change our culture, and young people need to be central to that.
In 2021, my colleague Pauline McNeill and I launched Scottish Labour’s consultation on ending violence against women and girls to develop our policies in the area. One of the key issues that emerged during that consultation was the significant challenge of sexism and misogyny in schools, the need for a cross-campus strategy to deal with sexism and misogyny, and the rising levels of violence against pupils and staff in schools, particularly girls and women staff. I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for her support and for the work that she is doing on tackling sexism and misogyny in schools and in developing our policies. I thank everyone—in particular, all the young people—who has attended events and contributed to the discussion that my party is having.
We all need to support initiatives to combat sexism in schools, including the mentoring projects and the variety of other initiatives that are taking place across Scotland. However, we must be clear that what we are currently doing is inadequate and that far more needs to be done.
We have been joined this week in the Parliament by Scottish Women’s Aid, which has a stall in the garden lobby. SWA staff have been sharing with MSPs not only the experiences of the women who use their services but the importance of listening to children and young people who are affected by abuse. Women might be able to separate from their abusers, but the abuse can continue through child contact. Again, we need to listen to women and children as we develop our policies in all areas.
Research from Engender shows that 43 per cent of girls and women in Scotland do not feel safe outside alone. The Scottish Government’s research, which was published last year, found that women feel more comfortable when train station ticket offices are open and staffed. However, the recent announcement of a reduction in hours at ScotRail ticket offices across Scotland is disappointing and another example of how we need to prioritise the needs of girls and women in all our policies. I look forward to working alongside my colleague Claire Baker, who has been appointed as Labour’s new transport spokesperson, and with colleagues from any party across the chamber with a desire to assist in rolling back cuts in ticket offices and in ensuring safe staffing levels in all public spaces where people need to use public transport.
The voice of children and young people is vital in all areas of policy. The Scottish Government and MSPs must ensure that the
“youth voice is central to action to address gender-based violence”,
as the motion sets out. I very much hope that we continue to work cross party to ensure that that happens and that we accept that, sometimes, that will have to mean changes in the way we do politics and the policies that we adopt.
16:02
I refer colleagues to my entry in the members’ register of interests. Prior to my election, I worked for a rape crisis centre.
It is so important that, during the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, we take time to consider what we are and are not doing to tackle the everyday sexism, violence and misogyny that women and girls around the world face. The debate is an opportunity to highlight the excellent work that is done by so many across Scotland.
For me, a highlight of this year came in February, when Monica Lennon and I co-hosted an event to celebrate the expansion from Tayside to the rest of Scotland of the young women know programme. We were delighted to meet many of the young women who are involved in the programme, to hear their stories and to share their vision and enthusiasm. Young women know is a campaign about healthy relationships and consent, which is led by young women and girls. It began with three local projects, including oor fierce girls in Dundee and brave lassies blether in Angus.
Oor fierce girls, launched in 2021, is a joint project between Dundee City Council and the Young Women’s Movement Scotland, which does excellent work across the country. It works by bringing together young women and girls to develop creative and relevant resources, including animations, to address peer sexual abuse. The campaign aims to make sure that every young woman and girl in Dundee knows what a healthy relationship is and where to go if they need advice or support. As a founding member of the group said,
“Conversations surrounding healthy relationships and creating a safe space are absolutely crucial. We owe it to the young people in our lives to help them understand how they deserve to be treated, and to provide them with a safe space to talk about their relationships ... to address peer sexual abuse comfortably, and without stigma.”
Brave lassies blether is a partnership programme between the Young Women’s Movement and NSPCC Scotland that is delivered with Angus Council. It works with young women aged 16 to 18 to create toolkits to support young people in their understanding of healthy relationships, consent and safe spaces. The messages of brave lassies blether include:
“We want young women to feel like they have a safe place to talk about issues they are having. That their experiences are not what will define them ... that there is always someone to speak to and they don’t have to struggle alone. Women’s voices matter. What we have to say matters.”
I am sure that many members, on hearing those words, will feel the same bittersweet ache. It is moving that young women have the wisdom and compassion to share that assurance with one another, but it is desperately sad that it is still needed.
Women’s voices matter. The north-east of Scotland has a rich tradition of women’s writing, art, politics and activism, and of speaking, sharing and making space for women to be heard. I have time to mention only a few this afternoon, but I pay tribute to all the groups and individuals who have spoken, organised and marched for our safety, our dignity, our autonomy and our liberation.
Aberdeen Women’s Alliance was the key organiser of the Aberdeen reclaim the night march that took place on Monday 25 November. The Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre Dundee and Angus and the Dundee Violence Against Women Partnership organised Dundee’s reclaim the night march on Friday 29 November.
The 16 days of activism in Dundee will end with an event at Abertay University next Tuesday entitled “Together we stand: a creative call for change”. In concluding, I echo those words: we must stand together, determined to make that change.
16:06
I am pleased to contribute on behalf of Scottish Liberal Democrats to the annual debate on the 16 days of international activism. I thank the many organisations that provided briefings for the debate for their contributions and for their work to address gender inequality and gender-based violence.
As others have highlighted, the Scottish Youth Parliament called for various actions to be taken to tackle gender-based violence, including early intervention through education and increased support for victims of violence and abuse. Girls are not safe from harassment and abuse in Scotland’s schools. A University of Glasgow study found that two thirds of Scottish secondary school pupils had been sexually harassed and that a third had experienced personally invasive behaviour, such as sexual touching. Primary prevention approaches aim to stop such violence by tackling the root cause, which is gender inequality. Harassment, verbal abuse and toxic banter must be challenged to disrupt a climate that enables more serious abuse and violence.
Gender-based violence affects every community. For her social science baccalaureate, Shetlander Gracie Gowans-Little conducted a survey on perceptions of sexual violence. Ninety per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that sexual violence is an issue in Shetland. At the cross-party group on men’s violence against women and girls, a presentation by Angus Women’s Aid and Limitless focused on the serious issue of domestic abuse and coercive control in youth relationships. The presenter pointed to the fact that the availability of hard-core pornography has created a situation in which high levels of violence are the norm.
A report by the Children’s Commissioner for England found that the average age at which children first see pornography is 13 years old and that they are most likely to see it on social media sites. Research shows that exposure to such content, which often depicts violence towards women, creates attitudes that are permissive of coercion and aggression in sexual interactions. Those concerning findings demonstrate the importance of dedicated education for young people that covers healthy relationships, consent and critical literacy.
Young men and boys also need critical thinking skills to tackle the reach of so-called misogynistic influencers. Boys who are looking for videos on topics such as cars or exercise are at risk of exposure to such content, which draws them in with videos about making money and motivational advice and escalates to misogynistic rants and hateful comments.
Misogynistic attitudes are linked to the perpetration of violence against women and to higher rates of substance abuse and depression among men. Teenagers are drawn to risk and rebellion, which means that it is not enough just to say that influencers are wrong. Emily Setter, a researcher in criminology, argues that we must understand why young men and boys are vulnerable to those messages and must offer them a credible alternative.
I commend the work of Rape Crisis Scotland and the University of Glasgow in developing equally safe at school, which is a toolkit to create a whole-school approach to preventing gender-based violence in secondary schools. I hope that schools across Scotland will be equipped to tackle harmful cultures in schools, to prevent gender-based violence and to support children who are affected by it. Teachers will also need training and support in enacting new policies.
Education can help to normalise men challenging each other’s behaviour. As others have said, Police Scotland’s “Don’t be that guy” campaign encourages men to have frank conversations with each other about behaviour that is damaging to women and to prevent harassment.
In last year’s debate I spoke of the patriarchy and misogyny restricting the freedoms of women and girls in Afghanistan, but that situation is even worse today. In August, the Taliban prohibited women’s voices from being heard in public. The level of human rights violations is so extensive that Amnesty International’s latest report found that it constitutes gender persecution.
I have more to say, but I realise that I am running out of time.
We move to the open debate.
16:11
Violence against women and girls is a blight on our society. It is a consequence of gender inequality and the misogyny that permeates all our lives.
I begin by thanking Zero Tolerance Scotland for sharing some research ahead of the debate, as well as for its year-round work. Zero Tolerance says that girls and young women are facing a
“daily assault of misogyny”,
while boys and young men
“face the pressure of unhealthy masculinity”,
and it warns that extreme misogyny is resurging, with attitudes that seek to justify and incite violence finding a home on the internet.
Online communities and so-called influencers create content that is targeted specifically towards boys and young men, peddling extreme misogynistic views that can then creep into other online and offline discourse. Last year, 83 per cent of secondary school teachers said that they were worried that those attitudes and beliefs were having a direct and negative impact on pupils’ behaviour, which is obviously extremely concerning.
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has a global flagship campaign to end violence against girls and women, for which it should be commended. During a recent visit to the annual review of Girlguiding West Lanarkshire, which covers part of my Rutherglen constituency, I was honoured to become a Girlguiding ambassador. That role encompasses recognising the value of what Girlguiding does and promoting its opportunities for girls and young women.
Each year, girl guides and girl scouts around the world play their part in tackling violence against women and girls in their communities through advocacy, education, awareness raising, community action and research. At home, Girlguiding UK produces an annual girls’ attitudes survey. Now in its 16th year, the survey gives girls and young women a platform to speak out about the things that matter to them and, importantly, asks about the challenges that they face today. This year, Girlguiding also produced a manifesto called “For all girls” ahead of the general election.
Some of the statistics from that work are sobering. Compared with 10 years ago, twice as many girls now report feeling unsafe due to sexism; 69 per cent of girls say that they hear “toxic” comments about women and girls at school; and 44 per cent say that they have heard comments at school that have made them feel afraid for their safety. The writers concluded that, because of the rise of sexism, online misogyny and gender-based violence, girls often do not feel safe.
The refreshed equally safe strategy, which was launched earlier this year, states that by challenging the misogyny and harmful attitudes that those young people report
“we pave the way for the effective dismantling of gender-based”
structures and attitudes that enable and support violence against women and girls.
Research shows us that education is a critical component in changing societal attitudes and reducing abuse. It can cover issues such as consent, healthy relationships, understanding signs of abusive behaviour and challenging gender stereotypes from an early age. The latest delivering equally safe fund impact report shows that the number of young people who are accessing sessions via grass-roots organisations is increasing, which is to be welcomed. However, it can still feel like, as a society, we have a very long way to go.
There is no doubt that this is challenging work. Misogyny must be challenged. Aggression and violence against women and girls is unacceptable, and we must all add our support and efforts to ensure that we have equally safe places for all women and girls. That is crucial if we are to achieve our shared aim of having a Scotland without violence, in any of its forms, against women and girls.
16:15
I thank all the organisations that provided briefings for the debate and commend them for the hard work that they do. I also thank For Women Scotland for working with me to sponsor a round-table discussion this week that will highlight violence and sexual harassment in the workplace. I hope that the Government takes that subject seriously and will do more work on it.
Every year, the Parliament holds a debate on the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, and this is the fourth year in a row in which I have contributed to that debate. Every year, MSPs stand in the chamber mentioning statistics, personal experiences and case studies and asking what more can be done. It is very sad to note that, even now, not much has changed.
I personally take violence against women and girls and domestic abuse very seriously. I remember from a young age seeing my mother helping distressed women, who were sometimes in tears, bruised or even bleeding, in her shop in Argyle Street. As I was young, I did not know much at that time. Only years later did I learn that those women were suffering from domestic abuse and violence. My political role has now given me the opportunity to take a stance on that.
The theme for this year’s 16 days of activism is
“Towards Beijing +30: Unite to End Violence Against Women and Girls.”
It refers to the 30th anniversary of the Beijing declaration and the platform for action. These 16 days are not just days; rather, they are a lifetime for people. According to the United Nations, one in three women and girls will experience violence in their lifetime. That includes the one in four adolescent girls who are abused by their partners. Most tragically, a woman is killed by her partner or a family member every 18 minutes, with 60 per cent of femicides being committed by partners or family members. To put that in context, from the beginning to the end of this 80-minute debate, eight women will—tragically—lose their lives. These are real lives, and those statistics are absolutely unacceptable.
Moving closer to home, I note that, shockingly, an incident of domestic abuse is reported to Police Scotland every 10 minutes. Recent figures show that, in the fiscal year 2023-24, the number of domestic abuse incidents reported to Police Scotland rose to almost 64,000. The number of reoffenders has also risen, with reoffending accounting for an estimated 65 per cent of reported cases. Statistics show that, at the same time, the numbers of recorded sexual crimes and domestic abuse incidents have increased by 10 per cent and 25 per cent respectively. Unfortunately, the real figures will be much worse, as many survivors are afraid of reporting such crimes to the police.
I appreciate everything that the member has pointed out. I wonder whether she welcomes the fact that yesterday’s budget announcement included £26 million specifically to support victims of crime. Obviously, a significant number of those victims will be victims of violence against women. Also, is she aware that the Criminal Justice Committee is currently scrutinising the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill?
Pam Gosal, I can give you the time back.
Thank you.
We need absolutely every penny. This is about not just domestic abuse and sexual violence but making sure that the streets are safe, so that our women and girls can go out in them. I absolutely welcome that money, but we have a lot more to do in the Parliament. We need not just to hand out money but, as members will hear, to change behaviours.
As today’s debate is about empowering young people’s voices, we must highlight the prevalence of violence among young people. One organisation that I spoke to, which helps survivors of domestic abuse, indicated that it is witnessing a stark increase in the number of young people who seek support. Many times, the perpetrator is also under the age of 18.
Coercive behaviour is also a form of abuse and is increasingly being reported in further and higher education. I attended a recent BBC lecture on violence by Dr Gwen Adshead, who said:
“if schools are not about emotional education, then I’m not quite sure what they’re for.”
That is why my protection of domestic abuse bill is very important. It provides for a statutory requirement and has received overwhelming support, with 94 per cent of consultation respondents agreeing with it.
I will conclude with some personal thoughts. I know this because I come from an Asian family. Why, when our daughters leave our homes, do parents say to them, “Be safe, text us or phone us when you get there,” or ask, “Should your dad or your brother pick you up? Will you get home safe?”? When will parents—mothers—say to their sons, “See when you’re out there, just be careful, son, that you do not make any female feel uncomfortable, and that you respect women”? What a change that would make. If we had changed the behaviours of boys and men, we would not be standing here today. I hope that, next year, we can report that something has been done and that changes have been made in men’s behaviour.
16:22
Like many feminists of a certain age, I am tired of fighting a system that is so ingrained with inequality that it feels immovable and intransigent. It is as if the glass ceiling is becoming ever more opaque and could soon become the cement ceiling, which means that smashing the patriarchy is that much harder—a task so difficult that it feels impossible—and can make the yearly 16 days campaign feel futile. Then I hear the voices of our young women—my 16-year-old daughter and thousands like her—who raise their fists and their voices, shouting from the rooftops that what is happening today is not okay.
Today, the situation is worse than ever. Our young men are being captured by a pervasive culture of misogynistic hatred, dressed up as the greatest-of-all-time influencers, who peddle a brand of toxic masculinity that is so damaging and all-encompassing that I see clearly that we have gone back in time, to an age in which, daily, women and young girls are subjected openly to hatred in all spheres of their lives.
We need to ask ourselves: how did we get here? How did we empower the likes of Andrew Tate to poison the discourse so insidiously that he has not only taken too many young men with him but succeeded in helping to convince too many young women that feminism and the quest for real equality are damaging to society? How is it that we have left social media unbridled to the extent that we are only a click away from encountering extreme violent pornography that glorifies and normalises strangulation—meaning that our young people are at risk of becoming desensitised to normal, healthy relationships?
Many years ago, as a teenager, I railed against the use of women’s bodies to sell products, due to the damage that it did to women as a whole. Today, the internet age that we live in is dominated by influencers and those who seek to make money in any way possible. My teenage plight seems tame in comparison with the horrors that our young folk navigate every day.
Elena Whitham was not able to make the event at Beira’s Place, which was sponsored by Claire Baker and Tess White. Scotland is the only country in the UK that has yet to introduce specific legislation to address non-fatal strangulation. It has been done in England and Wales and in Ireland. It is about time that we persuaded our Scottish Government to look at specific legislation, rather than relying on assault as the crime.
Elena Whitham, I can give you the time back.
I absolutely agree with the member. I have been looking at that issue for a long time. Before coming to Parliament, I led work in the East Ayrshire violence against women partnership to look at the pervasiveness and horribleness of pornography and what it is doing to our young people and our population as a whole.
When talking about these issues, we cannot shy away from the fact that so many of our young men feel ostracised and left behind. That feeling is nurtured and exploited by incels and those on the far right. We need to unpack that reality and address it urgently. We owe it to those boys and to their life chances. Why are we failing them as well?
We must also confront the fact that increasing numbers of young women do not feel able to participate fully in their own lives. Twice as many young women as a decade ago feel scared to travel on public transportation, to walk the school or college corridors, to speak out in class and to venture to the local shops. Young Scots are crying out for a different world, and we have a responsibility to help them to create it.
We know that extreme misogyny is a symptom of the wider patriarchal attitudes and rigid gender norms that still permeate our society. To eradicate misogyny and men’s violence against women, we must tackle the gender inequality that is at their core. We can do that through effective primary prevention and the equally safe strategy, focusing on structural, cultural, attitudinal and behavioural change. That long-term holistic strategy has the aim of ensuring that all women and girls, but especially marginalised women, share equal power with men and boys. We must look forensically at all the parts of the system and root out those parts that work against the aims of our equally safe strategy. We must address them urgently. We must also make the misogyny bill a reality.
Finally, as a former Women’s Aid worker who has seen first hand the harrowing reality of how court-mandated forced and unsafe contact perpetuates the abuse of child survivors of domestic abuse, I say loudly that we cannot ignore their voices—voices that have now been amplified by their rights under the UNCRC. Our court system must pay due regard to their right to feel safe and free from further abuse by an abuser who will all too often use the system as a form of lawfare and coercive control.
I urge all members to participate in the social media vigil #ForThemAll, this Friday at 7pm, to remember the far too many women and children who have been murdered by their abusers.
16:27
I welcome the chance to speak in the debate and contribute to this sobering discussion of what more can be done to protect and empower young people’s voices in Scotland.
Although for us the theme of this year’s 16 days of activism is to imagine a Scotland without gender-based violence, recent statistics remind us that violence against women and girls remains far too common. I attended a meeting last night, which others have mentioned, that was hosted by Tess White and Claire Baker and which brought to the Parliament the stark reality of the situation in Scotland. It touched on the unpleasant truth about life for many women and girls, particularly those who are the most vulnerable in our society.
For example, a clear majority of domestic abuse victims are women and the vast majority of perpetrators are men. We must not shy away from that reality. Women do not fear being attacked or abused by other women; they fear the actions of men. Therefore, as has been said, we must focus on the behaviour of men if we wish to put an end to that.
In 2023-24, more than 63,000 incidents of domestic abuse were recorded in Scotland, which is a 3 per cent increase on the previous year. Recorded incidents of rape and attempted rape increased by 10 per cent, with 95 per cent of victims being women. The reality for our young women is that, of all the sexual crimes reported in 2023-24, 37 per cent involved a victim under the age of 18.
Those are just a few of the damning insights into gender-based violence in Scotland, but it does not have to be like that. Gender violence is not innate. The truth is that it is learned and nurtured through stereotypes, misogyny, bias and ingrained inequalities.
I want to raise the issue of pornography and the normalisation of porn in the lives of young men. Last night, we heard from women who are researching this area, which is not often tackled, as it is an uncomfortable area and one that seems impossible to change. However, porn is not acceptable and is not normal, and we should be saying that to young men. Young men need to know that, and they need to be educated on the kindness that relationships can bring and not focus on the behaviours that are played out in those pornographic images. Society has a responsibility to challenge that industry and the behaviours that relate to it. We, as parliamentarians, must ensure that adequate and appropriate resources are provided to tackle that injustice.
I welcome much of what the minister said in her opening speech and the work of the Government, but I also think that members across the chamber have made some very powerful statements about what we can do. We all agree that the recent statistics reveal that more must be done to tackle violence against women and girls.
I thank Beatrice Wishart for bringing up the issue of Afghanistan. We all agree that what is happening to women and young girls in Afghanistan must be challenged. Scotland should never accept complacency. It must challenge all aspects of violence against women here in Scotland and, as Beatrice Wishart reminded us, right across the world.
As we have heard, a Scottish Labour report that was published last year found that a significant shift in social and cultural norms is required to prevent and address violence against women and girls. Tackling sexism and misogyny from a young age is critical to ending gender-based violence later down the line. Therefore, the Government must ensure that it funds initiatives and services that promote that necessary cultural change.
Women in politics have always worked in a cross-party manner and have been prepared to work with Governments to develop new strategies that should be followed by tangible outcomes. We need men in the chamber to do that, too, and I welcome the First Minister taking a lead on that today. I thank him for being here, and I thank all the men who are present in the chamber.
For the sake of young girls and young people, we must tackle the behaviours that we are discussing today, and I hope that we in Scotland can work in a cross-party manner to do so.
16:32
Not so long ago, in this chamber, we reflected on the situation in Afghanistan and the terrible and horrific circumstances for women and girls in that country. They are denied access to healthcare and education, they are repressed and they are denied their human rights. Afghanistan is a very different place to Scotland, but it serves as a warning from history—and the present—that things can regress. These 16 days, here in Scotland and internationally, are a chance for us to remember those who have suffered from violence against women and girls, to reflect on the situation that we are in and—for those of us who are men—to refocus on what more we can and should do.
In Scotland, we have made significant advancements with legislation, although I appreciate that there are calls for more to be done. There is also the Government’s commitment to introducing a law on misogyny, and there is collaboration across the UK to take more action on the difficulties in social media with regard to what it is doing in certain worrying instances to, as has been referenced, almost encourage toxic masculinity.
Further, there is the important work that is done in Scotland by our many stakeholders, through funding from the Government and the equally safe strategy. There are many projects and organisations that make a difference across the country and in our communities. In Edinburgh Northern and Leith, we have specific focused organisations such as Sikh Sanjog, Shakti Women’s Aid and Saheliya, and there are national bodies and initiatives such as Women’s Aid, which is with us this week in the garden lobby, as well as Aberlour Children’s Charity and the financially included project, which have been doing work in Parliament today—I was glad to meet them earlier to talk about the important work that they do around reducing coercive control and coerced debt.
There is also White Ribbon Scotland, which has engaged with many of us in Parliament in recent years. Next week in Parliament, I will host an event with it on persuading men and boys to take action on men’s violence against women and girls. I also mention Zero Tolerance, which has provided important information for us today and is doing great work, as others have said.
There is much to do. Many of the statistics have already been stated but, according to Zero Tolerance, only 19 per cent of girls and women feel completely safe in educational settings. In relation to misogyny and gendered attitudes in schools, it has found through its research that 83 per cent of schoolteachers are worried about the influence of online personalities and the negative effect that they are having on young boys and their behaviour.
We can look back to research even from 10 years ago about young people’s attitudes to violence against women and girls. The report that was produced in 2016, “Young People’s Attitudes to Violence Against Women: Report on Findings from the Young People in Scotland Survey 2014”, showed worrying trends even back then. We must get ahead of the prevention work and invest in prevention. That is what all the various organisations are asking us to do. That means taking initiative, and it means hard cash for the third sector organisations that make such a difference—sometimes an intangible difference. It also means leadership from all of us, as role models, parliamentarians and community leaders.
Last year, I put forward 16 actions that members of the Scottish Parliament could take over the course of the year between each of the 16 days of activism. I would encourage colleagues, particularly male colleagues, to take those 16 actions. One of the key ways in which we can make a difference is by being proactive in our communities. Rather than just engaging in campaigns such as “Don’t be that guy,” as great a campaign as it is, we should say, “Here’s how you can be a good guy,” or “Here’s how you can be a better guy.” We are not all perfect, but all young people and all individuals can make a difference.
Here and more widely, we are in a struggle to influence young men’s views and behaviour, and how they are formed and shaped. The more that men can do to encourage healthy masculinity and to be active in our communities and online, the bigger difference we can make in trying to improve the situation before the next 16 days of activism.
16:37
I spoke earlier about oor fierce girls in Dundee and the brave lassies blether campaign in Angus, which are making a huge difference to the lives of young people. Again, I thank and applaud them. I also wonder what more they would be able to do if they did not have to put those energies and that creativity into the basic foundational work of enabling decent, non-toxic relationships. What transformations could all that solidarity and care achieve if it did not have to resist the ever-increasing violence that women and girls are facing?
Zero Tolerance found that less than a fifth of girls and young women feel completely safe in educational settings, that the number feeling unsafe has doubled in the past 10 years, and that girls are silenced in class, losing sleep and concentration through fear of violence, harassment and rape.
How did we get here, after decades of activism, political change, public education and awareness campaigns? The Zero Tolerance briefing gives us some clues. It found that boys and young men are absorbing deeply misogynistic material without any awareness that that is not normal. The language of the incel movement and having Andrew Tate as a role model are no longer confined to a troubled niche. They are, for a growing number of young men, the mainstream—the norm.
The effects of that poison are deep and broad. A heavy cloud hangs over the lives of girls and young women, as risk and the perception of risk, everyday misogyny, hostility and insult, anxiety and fear affect almost all—with worse for many. That stifles the development of boys and young men, exploiting their emotions with predatory role models, insidious narratives and toxic tales of patriarchy. It oppresses, insults and undermines young people who resist binary heteronormative gender roles and undermines healthy relationships for all young people.
We cannot shrug that off as a passing craze. The normalisation of deep, extreme misogyny; the othering of anyone outside of what is a self-imposed identity; the toxic concept of the alpha, or high-value, male; and the increasing gulf between young women and young men in their experiences, attitudes and values are all profound dangers to individual and community wellbeing.
The attitudes and behaviours of radicalised adolescence find their reflection in older generations, too. Being successful means being able to assault women with impunity. It does not take the re-election of Donald Trump to demonstrate that rule—just look at this week’s news in the UK and Ireland. What can we do? We need primary prevention, education and training as Zero Tolerance, the Scottish Women’s Convention and Close the Gap recommend. We need action on economic and other abuse, as highlighted by Aberlour Children’s Charity and Scottish Women’s Aid. We need robust and effective misogyny law, and we need action, urgently, from men as our allies.
The boys and young men who have been radicalised by extreme misogyny will not listen to women or girls—we know that—but they may listen to other men. We need more men to step up and name misogyny, call it out and tell the truth about the harm that it causes. We need that to happen now, and we need that to come not only from those whose job it is; not only from those who have a son, a nephew, a grandson or a brother; and not only from those who have a sister or a daughter. Misogyny harms women, but it harms men too, in some ways more deeply. Toxic narratives created the crisis, but honest conversations can help to heal it: conversations about what it truly means to be successful, and about living an authentic, compassionate life—a life where women and girls feel safe and respected in your presence.
16:41
I am pleased to close on behalf of Scottish Labour in an important debate. I will pick up where other speakers have left off in reflecting on the importance of ensuring that boys and men understand the vital role that they play in reflecting on and changing their behaviours, and not leaving it to women and girls to tackle the scourge of violence, aggression and all the issues that have been discussed and debated. It is disappointing that Ben Macpherson and I appear to have been the only male speakers in the debate. There has been a range of inspiring and important speeches, but they have all been made by women. We have to reflect that more men must take responsibility in the Parliament and in society for our behaviours and that we need to work together.
In summing up, I want to reflect on the many contributions that have been made and the many actions that we can take from the debate and move forward with. The motion for debate focuses on the role of young people, and we have heard much about the concerning nature of what young people are experiencing. It is important that we learn from that and move forward. We need to ensure that we have good education in schools, which we have heard from a number of speakers. Of course, there needs to be education of young women and girls so that they understand issues of consent and respect and the support that they can get. Crucially, as I said at the start of my speech, we need to ensure that boys and young men are educated, that they have positive role models, that they understand the real issues that exist around consent in respect, and that they reflect on their behaviours and have space in order to do that. We will all want to take that away from the debate and do more work on it.
That is why am glad that Katy Clark raised the work that is being done in Scottish Labour. We have a suite of policies that I think we could look at on a cross-party basis. The minister has referred to the work that has been done by the Government, and other members have spoken about the work of their parties to move the issue forward. It is clear that toxic masculinity is on the rise, that we have serious and concerning issues on sexism and misogyny, and serious issues with access to harmful pornography. I recognise the work that has been done across the Parliament to look at many of those issues in depth—to look, for example, at better online regulation, at the education piece and at the need for positive role models. It is important that we continue to work together on those issues.
I highlight the work on strangulation to which members have referred today, such as the event that was held last week. My colleague Claire Baker has been involved in that work. A consensus has come out of today’s debate that there is more work that we can all do together to look at those very serious issues.
I was pleased to hear members refer to some of the international issues that sit across the 16 days of activism, not least the very serious issues in Afghanistan. We should all take those issues seriously, and reflect and take action on them, so it is important that Beatrice Wishart was able to bring that aspect into the debate.
In the latter section of the open debate, we heard powerful contributions from Pam Gosal, Elena Whitham, Carol Mochan and others, reflecting on the questions that we, as a society—and as men and boys—need to ask ourselves. Pam Gosal’s challenge to us all was to get to a stage at which mothers—it could also be fathers—say to their sons, “Who are you going to be when you go out tonight, and how are you going to treat women?” That is vitally important. Ben Macpherson followed that up by saying that it is not enough just to not “be that guy”—we should all try to be a better person and a good guy, and think about our behaviours. Those two reflections were extremely important.
As I said, I am conscious that we could have had more men speaking in the open debate, but I acknowledge that the First Minister will make a contribution at the debate’s conclusion. That is important, and it shows that the whole Government is taking the issue seriously.
It is clear from the contributions from members on all sides of the chamber that we all have more work to do. It is not just about the 16 days of activism, although they are important. There are 365 days in a year, and we need to ensure that we take the issue seriously, and that—crucially—men and boys take our role seriously. We must work to change attitudes and behaviours, and to ensure that we have respect for women and girls and that we build a more equal society as we move forward.
16:46
I am pleased to close on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, and to have listened to such impassioned speeches from members on all sides of the chamber in agreement on what we are trying to tackle. I was also pleased to hear Kaukab Stewart’s opening comments about the importance of a collective response. If anything is ever going to demonstrate how important the Parliament considers this issue to be, it is the fact that the First Minister is in the chamber to make a speech, as is the leader of the Scottish Conservatives. It is also the number of colleagues, across the chamber and online, who think that the debate is important enough to attend on a Thursday afternoon, which—as we all know—is not the norm. We should be proud of that.
I will focus a lot of my comments on prevention strategies. We have heard from many members today about the importance of adults setting examples to young people, and to boys in particular, because traits such as racism and sexism are learned behaviours. It is not enough for us to recognise misogyny—it is time that men are challenged openly, as we have been challenged in the chamber today, to set the standard for our children and their peers.
That is important, because casual misogyny exists. We know that we have made great strides in tackling things such as casual racism and casual homophobia, and we have to do the same for misogyny. The debate is timely, considering what has been covered recently in the press. Am I surprised that misogyny at that level still exists? Absolutely not. However, it is the attitude of the establishment to the reporting of such behaviour, and the willingness to allow it to continue unchecked and to sweep it under the carpet, that is the most shocking and repulsive thing. That attitude simply emboldens those who perpetrate that kind of obnoxious behaviour.
I want to talk about the perception of sexism in society. We have come a long way, and I make no apologies for using sport as a reflection of society. Sport is such a fantastic vehicle for tackling all kinds of inequalities and behaviours such as racism, homophobia and religious bias, because the focus on performance and achievement delivers a mutual respect that transcends any colour, creed, race, religion or sex.
However, I remind members that it was only in 1984 that women were first allowed to run in the Olympic marathon, when the race was won by Joan Benoit. In those Olympic games, women were not allowed to run any further than 3,000m or take part in the hammer, pole vault or triple jump events—all measures that were put in place by men.
We are starting to move the dial. Attitudes to women are starting to change. I found out recently at a Caledonian Gladiators women’s basketball match that the only two professional basketball teams in the whole of Scotland both get paid exactly the same, while they are trying to raise the number of people who watch the women’s basketball to reflect the number that watch the men’s sport.
It can be done, but I have a word of caution, and Elena Whitham put this extremely well. The 2024 Girlguiding attitudes survey highlighted that, for girls aged seven to 10, the number of ways in which girls believe that they are expected to behave differently because they are girls has increased significantly in the past 10 years. Those ways include the way that they look, the things that they like at school, the games that they play, the things that they say, the books that they read and yes—the kind of sport and exercise that they do.
Attitudes to women and women in sport have come a long way in the past 10 years. Women’s sport has gained much more kudos and credibility, with all the role models that have shone through. However, there are still trends that need to be reversed, and that is important. The survey demonstrates that society is undervaluing women and girls, and that pervades and seeps into young girls’ perception of themselves, creating limits for them as well as strengthening that belief and inequality in society. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics—STEM—subjects are stubbornly male dominated. I suspect that that is very much related to the perception of the working environment—with those greasy overalls and the newspaper cuttings that we all know are on the walls—and the way in which women perceive that they will be treated in that environment. We have to work to change that.
Girls face sexism and extreme views more commonly in the media—
Will the member take an intervention?
Of course—yes.
No—the member is just about to conclude.
Am I? Sorry—I am just about to conclude. In that case, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will go to the summing-up part of my speech.
I highlight my colleague Pam Gosal’s proposed domestic abuse prevention bill, which would create a domestic abuse offenders register that would require those who are placed on it to report to the police certain changes in their circumstances. That is the kind of message that we need to send from here. This is a very important debate, because one of the most important things that we can do is consistently keep the issue on the agenda.
In a very powerful speech, my colleague Tess White asked the question, “Where are the men?” I am proud that, when I look around the chamber and online, I see many men who have turned up for this debate. It is a good start, Deputy Presiding Officer, but there is much more to do.
I call the First Minister to wind up the debate. First Minister, I would be grateful if you could you take us up to just before 5 o’clock.
16:53
I welcome the opportunity to close the debate on behalf of the Scottish Government. Carol Mochan, Paul O’Kane and Brian Whittle all made reference to my attendance at this debate as First Minister.
Somewhat more bluntly, Tess White said that it was time for the men of influence to show up. I hope that, by being here, I have ticked at least one box—if Tess White believes that I am a man of influence, which might be the most controversial thing that I say this afternoon. The question that I ask myself when I hear such comments is, “Where else should I be at this moment?” I should not be anywhere else, because it is important that the First Minister of Scotland makes clear the importance that the holder of this office attaches to tackling issues of violence against women and girls in our society and makes it abundantly clear that those matter at the very heart of Government and are taken deadly seriously by the leader of the Scottish Government.
This afternoon, an incredibly powerful expression of concern has been shared with members of Parliament, first of all by my colleague Elena Whitham. I can only say that her contribution makes me grieve even more the fact that she will not be a member of the next Scottish Parliament, which I dearly and deeply regret.
The most powerful comment that Elena Whitham made, in comparing her experience as a teenager with the experience of her teenage daughter now, was that it is much more difficult for teenage girls today than it was when she was growing up. I am seized of the seriousness of that comment, because it resonates with what the Cabinet heard a couple of weeks ago in the annual meeting of the Cabinet and children and young people in Scotland. Members of the Children’s Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament wanted us to talk about one of our themes: gender-based violence against women and girls. If that does not tell us about the gravity and seriousness of what girls and women in our society are facing, what else will?
My colleague Clare Haughey made reference to the outstanding work that has been done by Girlguiding Scotland to survey young girls in our society. The experiences that girls are having make for grim reading.
Will the First Minister take an intervention?
I will in a moment.
Katy Clark made reference to the widespread concern among women about their safety.
The contributions from Elena Whitham, Clare Haughey and Katy Clark along with, crucially, the comments from the representatives of the Children’s Parliament and the Scottish Youth Parliament stress the importance of Parliament taking these issues seriously.
At a For Women Scotland event in Parliament this week, a female teacher told how male pupils are openly watching porn on their phones, taking up-skirt photos of female pupils and subjecting female pupils and staff to depraved sexual comments and intimidation. They should not have to tolerate that. Will the Scottish Government consider introducing a full ban on mobile phones in schools?
Those are real-life problems in our schools, which is why the Government has taken the action that it has on mobile phone technology in our schools. However, they highlight a deeper issue, which is the importance of proactive education on the damage that can be done by the very activities that Russell Findlay has put to me.
I am reminded of the challenges that I faced as education secretary and the controversy that surrounded the introduction of the relationships, sexual health and parenthood education, which was vigorously resisted by many people. However, I judged, after very careful consideration, that, for all the reasons that members on all sides have given, that education was required to confront the reality of what was readily available, a click away, on any child’s mobile phone. The importance of values-based education is fundamental in that respect.
Aside from the education system, there has been reference to the importance of criminal justice interventions. We have discussed the issues that Pam Gosal raised. Fiona Drouet expressed to me in a meeting that I had with her just a couple of weeks ago the importance that she attaches to promoting the legislation on non-fatal strangulation. The Government will consider those issues as part of its review of the criminal justice system.
In drawing my remarks to a close, I want to reflect on the actions that need to come from this debate. One of them is that men must take up the challenge from Ben Macpherson about being a better guy and reflecting on our own behaviour. As First Minister, I am absolutely conscious at all moments of the example that I set in my behaviour. That is uppermost in my consideration of how I act and conduct myself on these questions as First Minister.
We have to strengthen the approach that is taken in education. I believe that values-based education and the relationships, sexual health and parenthood education will help us to win these arguments with young people, in particular young boys, in our society.
There are also the negative implications of social media in our society. Social media has many strengths, but Parliament will be aware, as I am, of the curse that it can be with what it is exposing our young people to. I have been reading a fascinating and incredibly disturbing book called “The Anxious Generation”, by Jonathan Haidt, which goes through many of the implications of social media activity on children and young people. It makes me seized of the importance—I have corresponded with the United Kingdom Government on this question, and it is engaged on it—of much greater responsibility on the part of the social media giants that are responsible for purveying some of the most unacceptable behaviours in our society. [Applause.] The Scottish Government will be resolute in pursuing that particular issue.
A week last Friday, I had the pleasure—I am not sure that “pleasure” is the right word; rather, I had the privilege and responsibility—to launch the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence against women and girls in my home city of Perth. The event was powerfully led and put together by a magnificent team of people who concentrate on the issue annually. However, I am seized of the importance of Paul O’Kane’s and Ben Macpherson’s comments that, although 16 days are welcome, 365 days in which we change behaviour, conduct and attitudes would be even more welcome. I assure Parliament of the importance that I, as First Minister, and my Government attach to accomplishing that objective. [Applause.]
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. I would like to apologise and correct the record: it is every 10 minutes that a woman is killed by her partner or by a family member, not every 18 minutes, as I accidentally said in my speech. Also, my proposed bill is about domestic abuse prevention, not protection. It has been a long week—sorry.
Thank you, Ms Gosal. That was perhaps not a point of order, but it is on the record now.
That concludes the debate on empowering young people’s voices in tackling violence against women and girls.