The shocking rise of violence against women in Scotland requires a whole-society response
If Scotland is to prevent violence against women from continuing to rise, it must address the twisted ideology that drives it
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The alarming increase in violence against women in Scotland should be a source of deep concern that prompts decisive action from our politicians. It is their responsibility to ensure the perpetrators are caught and punished, and that every effort is made to ensure women are as safe as possible.
However, this is not merely a matter for the justice system. It is a problem which requires a whole society approach that starts with our schools. In recent years, there has been a breakdown in discipline in Scotland’s classrooms, with female teachers in particular the target of abuse, disrespect and shocking violence.
The SNP have taken a bizarrely relaxed approach to this appalling situation and must now recognise the link between the inadvertent and dangerous lessons being taught to teenage boys in school, who can escape virtually unpunished for serious misbehaviour, and the attitudes of men in society at large.
GPS tracking
In a motion to the Scottish Parliament yesterday, John Swinney condemned violence against women and girls “in all its forms” and stressed that eradicating it "requires a focus on prevention and on challenging the attitudes and behaviours that fundamentally underpin" such acts.
He also promised GPS tracking of domestic abuse suspects would be piloted in Scotland from next year, although Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Baillie, writing in The Scotsman, pointed out this life-saving system had been in operation south of the Border for years and that “every day it is not in place [in Scotland], we are putting women and girls in danger”.
But while this grim situation requires action by government, it also imposes a duty upon all decent people to oppose misogyny. This is not merely about equality, it can be a matter of life and death, as demonstrated by recent murders of women and depicted in the Netflix drama Adolescence, which provided a wake-up call for many about the potential consequences of the toxic sexism promoted by the hideous ‘manosphere’ movement.
We must act to save women from violent men, but also to save foolish, weak boys from being led astray, growing up to become killers, and experiencing the living death of that indelible stain.