The Scottish Liberal Democrats have called on Justice Secretary Neil Gray to implement urgent reforms to better protect women from violent men, citing a growing backlog of promised measures that appear far from delivery.
In a letter to Gray, the party highlighted that key elements of the Domestic Abuse (Protection) Act 2021 remain unused five years after MSPs backed them, due to "operational challenges and costs" flagged by police and prosecutors. These measures would give police and courts the power to remove a domestic abuser from the home of any person at risk immediately following an incident.
Pledge to bring forward misogyny bill
The move follows First Minister John Swinney's pledge last week to finally bring forward a misogyny bill and launch a public health campaign to challenge misogynistic attitudes in boys and young men. The Lib Dems previously wrote to Swinney on the issue in July but received no reply.
Lib Dem MSP Yi-pei Chou Turvey said it should "not take victims to lose their lives before proper action is taken". In her letter to Gray, she wrote: "You have rightly identified this violence as a 'pernicious situation' and 'a malignant malevolence'. You have highlighted that increasing reports of sexual crime are of 'deep concern', as they should be to all of us in this parliament."
Backlog of promised measures
Turvey noted that three Scottish women died at the hands of men this July. She said: "There are still men in this country who do not see women as human beings. Rather, they see them as bodies that they can grab and hit, when they please. They see them as bodies that they can hunt and kill, when they grow tired. This has always been true, and it is still depressingly true now."
She added: "From the delays to the sexual offences court to the failure to implement key domestic abuse protections, there is a growing backlog of promised measures that seem nowhere close to being delivered. The only way to break this cycle is to translate warm words into action."
Recent murder cases raised
Scottish Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton raised the recent murder cases of Vikki Soloman and Stacy Hunter at the Scottish Parliament last week. He said: "Vikki Soloman was 44. She was a mum, a passionate advocate for the beauty industry, and she was known to several of us here in this chamber. She called the police asking for help following an assault by the man who hours later would go on to kill her. The police did not attend. Stacy Hunter was murdered by an ex-partner out on bail, who should have been nowhere near her."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "As the First Minister has said, violence against women and girls has no place in our society. The Scottish Government has committed to consult on proposed changes to help support the effective operation of a domestic abuse protection notice and order scheme. We remain fully committed to implementing Part 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) and have been working with justice partners and stakeholders to overcome recognised operational challenges and consider associated costs. These discussions have led to proposals that we will consult on in order to deliver a sustainable approach to domestic abuse protection."
