That the Parliament recognises the bravery of Gisèle Pelicot for waiving her right to anonymity so that the trial of the men who raped her could take place in public and so that, in her words, “shame changes sides”; commends her heroism in speaking openly about what it understands to be a heavily stigmatised issue, intimate partner sexual violence; understands that this is an issue affecting women and men across the world, including the North East Scotland region; further understands that global estimates published by the World Health Organization in 2021 indicate that about one in tree, 30%, of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime; believes that research from Waverley Care suggests that one in three men who have sex with men will experience intimate partner violence in their lives; recognises that many survivors of intimate partner sexual violence do not want to report to the police; highlights the help and support available through other organisations, such as Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, Scottish Women’s Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, Action Against Stalking, Revenge Porn Helpline, Fear Free Scotland, LGBT+ Helpline Scotland and LGBT Domestic Abuse Scotland, and urges anyone affected by intimate partner sexual violence to seek help because, in the words of Gisèle Pelicot “It’s not for us to have shame, it’s for them”.
Supported by:
Monica Lennon, Paul Sweeney