This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Domestic Abuse continues to increase
31/10/2002
A rise in the reporting of domestic abuse incidents
shows an increased confidence by victims that their claims
will be taken seriously, Executive Ministers said
today.
Police figures show a 5 per cent increase in reporting
of domestic abuse during 2001. All eight Scottish police
forces have collated statistics on domestic abuse since
1999, and reporting has risen each year.
Social Justice Minister Margaret Curran said:
"Today's figures provide valuable information about the
nature and scale of domestic abuse. Over the last three
years the number of incidents reported to police has risen,
this is encouraging because it demonstrates increased
confidence that the police will take the matter seriously.
The sheer number of incidents confirms that we are right to
have increased resources for this work.
"Our campaign highlights research findings that domestic
abuse is more prevalent than people once thought, that it
is not something to hide behind closed doors and that help
and support is available for those who are suffering.
"Abuse is not acceptable, there is never an excuse for
it and no-one should have to live in fear. We have
committed 23 million pounds over the four years 2000 - 2004
to build new refuges, develop services and to implement the
National Strategy on domestic abuse. We will continue to
work with the police, women's groups, health and education
authorities to eradicate domestic abuse from Scottish
society."
Deputy Justice Minister Richard Simpson added:
"Domestic abuse is a reality for far too many people in
Scotland. Through specially trained liasion officers, the
police are making, and will continue to make, increased
efforts to encourage women to come forward by providing
more effective, individually tailored support for them when
they do. These figures show that progress is being made,
but we still have some way to go to create a climate in
Scotland where violence and intimidation is not tolerated.
We expect these figures to continue to rise, reflecting
increased self-reporting, before they fall."
Since 1998 the Executive's groundbreaking 'There's no
excuse…' campaign has been successful in raising awareness
about domestic abuse.
Lessening of the stigma of domestic abuse, greater
public awareness of the issues due to the Executive's
advertising, story lines in soaps like Eastenders and the
improvement of police response will all have contributed to
the rise in referrals according to Scottish Womens Aid.
Louise Johnson from Scottish Women's Aid national office
said:
"We are not surprised at the increase in police
statistics as this mirrors an increase in our own figures
and is, in part, due to our own work and increased public
awareness resulting from the Executive's advertising
campaign. We acknowledge both the Executive and the
Scottish Parliament's commitment to the eradication of
domestic abuse and their continued support of our work in
this area. However, there is still a long way to go toward
protecting women, children and young people."