MSP begs John Swinney to invest in safe spaces for kids after girls battered for Snapchat
Labour's Paul O'Kane made the plea after Hope Lyden and Sofia Todd, both 13, were "senselessly" battered in public in his constituency last month.
An MSP has begged First Minister John Swinney to invest in safe spaces for kids after two schoolgirls were brutally beaten and filmed on Snapchat in his constituency.
Labour's Paul O'Kane made the plea after Hope Lyden and Sofia Todd, both 13, were "senselessly" battered in public last month. The West of Scotland representative raised the matter at First Minister's Questions at Holyrood on Thursday.
Speaking to Swinney, he said: "This month in my West Scotland region two young girls were brutally assaulted by other teenagers just days apart. The incidents were recorded and shared widely on social media.
"I'm sure the whole parliament will agree with me when I say these incidents are unacceptable and will join me in my concerns that these are among an increasing list of incidents across the country.
"The answer so far from the government to the wider issue seems to have been that the Education Secretary has led a number of summits on the issue.
"Surely an important part of the response from the government has to be more safe places and local facilities for young people.
"So, can I ask the First Minister what decisive action will his government finally take to tackle these issues, reverse years of cuts and closures to youth centres, clubs and programmes due to the chronic underfunding of local authorities by this government.
"Or, is he simply going to instruct the Cabinet Secretary for Education to hold yet another talking shop?"
O'Kane made the plea to Swinney as part of the Record's Our Kids ... Our Future campaign, which was launched two years ago in response to an epidemic of youth violence in Scotland.
Our Kids ... Our Future has demanded the Scottish Government to ring-fence funding in safe spaces for kids in every community, where they can be nurtured, mentored and guided.
In addition, we have called on social media giants to introduce robust measures to ensure violent clips of teens do not circulate on platforms.
As part of the campaign, the Record secured a monumental summit for victims and their families to speak directly with the First Minister earlier this year.
The event was held at St Andrew's House in Edinburgh and gave young victims the opportunity to tell ministers how their assaults and the impact of social media affected them.
Swinney said: "We had a gathering which I drew together as a consequence of the initiative taken by some families who were affected by the unacceptable violence that Mr O'Kane refers to and initiated by the Daily Record. I was pleased to host that summit on January 13 with cross-party representation.
"We listened to the voices of young people. We are taking a number of measures through the various awareness campaigns that we take forward and are mentors in violence reduction programmes which are delivered to over 200 schools across the country.
"We invest in facilities around the country through a variety of different inventions in the government's budget which deliver a real-terms increase to local authorities and their funding, which also supports third-sector interventions to meet the needs of communities around the country."
Last month, we told how Hope was set upon by a gang of girls not known to her after she was accused of speaking about another youngster at Boden Boo in Erskine on April 11.
Disturbing footage taken from the incident shows the child being knocked unconscious before attackers dragged her limp body through a field by her hair.
Days later, Sofia was beaten by two girls while she enjoyed a meal with her friends at the Black Rooster restaurant in Paisley. Sofia was left with a burst lip, covered and bruises and "traumatised" after bullies used her Snapchat location to pin her down.
A video of the sickening ordeal shows the schoolgirl being dragged from a booth before she suffers multiple blows and stamps to her head.
Both clips of Sofia and Hope went viral on Snapchat.
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