A bill aimed at turning the tide on domestic abuse across Scotland has been published today (Thursday)
The Prevention of Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Bill was lodged by Dr Pam Gosal MBE, Scottish Conservative MSP for West Scotland.
The proposed legislation includes a number of measures to reduce instances of domestic abuse, a crime which has increased steadily across the country.
That includes:
- An offenders register requiring domestic abuse convicts to inform authorities of a change in circumstances, similar to the sex offenders register
- Mandatory rehabilitation courses for anyone convicted of domestic abuse
- Improved data recording and publishing, including ethnicity, age and disability
- Compulsory education in all schools to support a long-term cultural shift against domestic violence
In the consultation phase, 95% of respondents were supportive of the policies included.
The bill has been supported by all parties in the Scottish Parliament, with the exception of the Greens.
It also has widespread backing among charities, experts and victims.
Now that it has been published, the bill will begin its journey through the Holyrood committee system to ultimately be debated and voted on by MSPs in coming months.
Scottish Conservative MSP Dr Pam Gosal MBE said: “Domestic abuse is a scourge right across the country.
“It happens in homes in cities, towns and villages, and has tens of thousands of victims living in constant terror and misery.
“My proposed bill aims to turn the tide on this, and contains specific measures to make a difference.
“A domestic abuse offenders register would work in a similar way to the sex offenders register, bringing increased shame on perpetrators, acting as a true deterrent and giving further protection to potential victims.
“Some current offenders deemed high-risk are already subjected to rehabilitation courses, but this bill would extend that to everyone convicted of domestic abuse. That would clearly help reduce the risk of reoffending and protect victims, who are overwhelmingly women, in future.
“In a similar vein, we would also introduce mandatory education in schools to aid the cultural shift, and ensure the next generation are fully informed about the horrific nature and far-reaching consequences of this crime.
“We also need to improve the gathering and publication of statistics. The more we know about who the victims and culprits are, where they live, what they do, their social and economic circumstances and their cultural background, the more police and government will be able to take focused, effective action.
“Domestic abuse ruins lives, destroys families and wrecks communities.
“We need to do everything we can to reduce this plague, and my bill aims to do exactly that.”