The number of women being warned by police that their partner has a violent past has almost doubled in the last five years, according to figures released under Freedom of Information.
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 previously been abusive to others. This is called the Right to Ask.
Steady Rise in Disclosures
Figures from Police Scotland show that the number of disclosures made about violent partners has risen steadily since 2021. That year there were 2305 disclosures, rising to 4082 in 2025 – an increase of almost 80 per cent.
Clare's Law also enables anyone with concerns about the partner of someone they know to apply for a disclosure.
Survivor's View
Eve Graham, from Nairn, who suffered more than 40 years of abuse at the hands of her husband, welcomed the scheme. She said: "Anything that allows women to find out if their partner has previous is to be welcomed.
"In the past women were reluctant to believe that the new man in their life was violent. The last thing you would think then would be to check them out. However domestic violence is so prevalent now a lot of younger women are thinking: 'I'll just check this guy out.'"
Eve, 68, also welcomed the fact that families and friends can apply to the police for a disclosure about a loved one's new partner. She added: "It is great idea. Often love is blind. You might get a new boyfriend and think he is the nicest guy on earth but your family think there is something about this guy which is not right and they can now contact the police about their suspicions.
"My husband's persona to the public was different from the one that I experienced. People said he wouldn't hurt a fly, may be not, but he would certainly hurt his wife."
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 released in June after serving just 12 months. He also received a 10-year non-harassment order from the court.
Named After Clare Wood
Clare's Law was named after mum Clare Wood, 36, who was murdered and set on fire in Salford in 2009 by her ex-boyfriend George Appleton, who had a history of violence against women. Clare's dad Michael Brown, originally from Aberdeen, campaigned to allow people to check with police whether their partner had a record of abusive behaviour.
Both women and men can apply for information about a partner. However, the vast majority of cases involve women who are at risk.
Dr Marsha Scott, CEO of Scottish Women's Aid, said: "We should be cautious about reading too much into the numbers alone. They don't tell us whether more men are perpetrating domestic abuse or whether more women are aware of the scheme.
"What they do tell us is that too many women continue to have good reason to question whether they are safe. As we've said before, the Disclosure Scheme is a sticking plaster, not a cure. It can be an important tool for some women, but it should never be seen as the solution to men's violence against women.
"We cannot continue to place the burden on women to identify and manage the risk posed by abusive men."
Rise in Domestic Abuse Charges
Earlier this week it was revealed that attacks in Scotland by a spouse or partner are at an 11-year high. Prosecutors at the Crown Office received 34,586 reports from Police Scotland with domestic abuse charges in 2025-26, up 14 per cent on the previous 12 months. The figures also include 11 charges of murder or culpable homicide – up from six the previous year.
Detective Superintendent Adam Brown of Police Scotland's Domestic Abuse Coordination Unit said: "The Domestic Abuse Disclosure Scheme (DSDAS) continues to be an important preventative tool in tackling domestic abuse.
"We actively promote the scheme and are encouraged by the steady increase in applications to the scheme from people who are concerned about their relationship, or that of a friend or loved one. Receiving a disclosure can help people make a decision about the future of their relationship and make decisions about how best to keep themselves safe.
"The application form can be accessed on our website and I would urge anyone with concerns, either for themselves or someone they know, to submit a DSDAS application."
