A domestic abuse victim has called for compulsory prison terms for men who attack their partners after new figures showed an average of 178 incidents a day across Scotland. Eve Graham, who suffered more than 40 years of abuse at the hands of her husband, says tough new measures are needed to halt the spiralling number of attacks on girls and women.
Recorded incidents rise for second consecutive year
Latest figures released by Police Scotland under Freedom of Information show there were 65,085 incidents reported to them in 2025/26 - 178 a day - compared to 64,937 the previous year and 63,270 in 2023/24. The statistics are the second highest for domestic abuse since the force was formed in 2013. The only year for which figures were higher was the 65,251 incidents recorded in 2020/21 when the country was in lockdown.
Eve, 68, from Nairn, said: "The figures do not surprise me. Domestic abuse is so common now. There are so many cases where the abuser gets a pitiful sentence or no sentence at all. There is absolutely no deterrent for the perpetrators."
Victim calls for automatic jail sentences and school education
Eve says that anyone convicted of a domestic abuse related offence should automatically go to prison, particularly if the abuse has been going on for a long time and is violent. She added: "It should be a compulsory jail sentence, even if it is only for six months. See how they feel like living in fear and on the edge all the time, like their women have been.
"It also has to be spoken about more. It should be on the curriculum in schools so that boys learn what is acceptable behaviour. It should start in first year at secondary. One period a week with girls there as well so that they can explain how they feel."
Eve was pushed into the sea from a pier, bitten on the nose and smashed over the head with a bucket in a series of brutal attacks by her husband, William McDonald. McDonald, 77, from Ardersier, Inverness-shire, was jailed for two years last year at the High Court in Glasgow but was released in June after serving just 12 months. He also received a 10-year non-harassment order from the court.
Ward-level data highlights hotspots
The latest domestic abuse figures cover all 354 council electoral wards across Scotland. The most incidents were in the Glasgow Anderston/City/Yorkhill ward, which includes the heavily populated Townhead, Garnethill, and Finnieston areas, with 548 cases. Second was Buckhaven, Methil and Wemyss villages in Fife with 508 and third was Glasgow Govan with 496.
Dr Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: "Any report of a domestic abuse offence is a cause for concern, and these figures are a stark reminder of the level of harm occurring every day. Preventing future harm requires urgent, consistent action across all systems, to ensure survivors and their children get a competent response that maximises their safety.
"The majority of women never report their experiences, and so we will continue to work with frontline services across Scotland to ensure they are domestic abuse competent and support is available when it is required. Scotland’s Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline, hosted by Scottish Women’s Aid, has had an increase of 48 percent in contacts between 2024/25 and 2025/26, due to a targeted awareness campaign. When survivors know support is available and accessible, they reach out."
Dawn Brennan of Glasgow women's safety charity Wise Women said: "We are extremely concerned that we continue to see increases in reports of domestic abuse and this paints a bleak picture for women across Scotland. Although women may be reporting more often, this is also an indicator of the high levels of violence and abuse being experienced by women and children every day.
"In Glasgow all specialist domestic abuse services are seeing increased demand, whilst under increasing pressure, such as experiencing service review and reducing funding. We believe it is essential that under the current levels of violence against women, and therefore crimes against women, specialist services should be prioritised for funding and should be able to prioritise their direct work to protect and support women in their recovery."
Political responses and government action
Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: "Scottish Labour has long argued that violence against women and girls should be a top priority of the Scottish Government. These figures demonstrate that time and again we are nowhere near changing the direction of travel in tackling violence against women and girls. It is also essential that we provide young men and boys with positive role models to help tackle attitudes surrounding this issue."
Scot Lib Dem Deputy Leader Wendy Chamberlain MP said: "It’s shocking to see that domestic abuse incidents are nearly the highest they’ve been since Police Scotland began collecting data in 2013. The Scottish Government should treat this violence and the misogyny that often underpins it as a national emergency. Instead, domestic abuse measures passed years ago by the Scottish Parliament to give police and courts extra powers in these cases have still not been implemented."
Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, Stephen Kerr MSP, said: "Domestic abuse is blighting lives across Scotland. Women deserve protection, not platitudes. That means properly funding the police, tightening bail laws and ensuring abusers face real consequences."
Victims Minister Kirsten Oswald said: "Violence against women and girls is abhorrent. While any increase is concerning, it is important that women feel able to turn to the justice system and perpetrators face the consequences of their actions. The First Minister has pledged his personal leadership on tackling violence against women and girls and challenging the behaviours and attitudes of men who are overwhelmingly responsible. The Programme for Government sets out a range of actions, informed by survivors and the organisations that support them, to help prevent abuse, support those affected and hold perpetrators to account.
"We have announced that funding for the Fund to Leave scheme will double in 2026-27, taking total investment in the initiative to £4 million. Since launching in February 2026, the scheme has helped 1,519 women and 2,094 children leave unsafe situations."
Last month, the Daily Record reported that the number of women being warned by police that their partner had a violent past has almost doubled in the last five years. The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland - also known as Clare's Law - allows people to find out if a new or existing partner has been abusive to others. In 2021, there were a total of 2305 disclosures, rising to 4082 in 2025 - an increase of almost 80 per cent.
Detective Superintendent Adam Brown of Police Scotland's Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit said: "Domestic Abuse is a priority for Police Scotland and we acknowledge the increase in reports. In addition to the dedicated specialist Domestic Abuse detectives in local policing divisions, our regional Domestic Abuse Task Force proactively targets high risk and serial perpetrators across Scotland.
"We work closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service to ensure that cases are robust and that the risk posed by perpetrators is considered. Our joint approach has seen many essential interventions, successful prosecutions, and significant sentences."
