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The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Scottish ministers drop plans to outlaw misogyny and conversion practices
The Scottish government has dropped plans to outlaw misogyny and conversion practices before the next Holyrood election, arguing they are too legally complex to deliver in time. Ministers had long promised a bill to criminalise misogyny after Nicola Sturgeon, the then first minister, accepted recommendations from a working group led by the lawyer and human rights expert Helena Kennedy in 2022. Lady Kennedy said a standalone bill was essential because of the seriousness and complexity of the issue, which spanned sexual violence, hatred, gender-based threats of violence online and 'incel' culture. Jamie Hepburn, the minister for parliamentary business, said on Friday the Scottish government would instead insert anti-misogyny measures into Scotland's Hate Crime and Public Order Act via secondary legislation – an approach Kennedy said in 2022 failed to grasp the significance of the issue. Women's rights campaigners said this was 'devastating news' but Hepburn said the recent UK supreme court decision on the definition of woman had added to the legal challenges. 'This is a complex area of policy and law, and it would be necessary that any bill which brought misogyny into criminal law contained clear and unambiguous provisions in regard to the circumstances in which they apply,' he told MSPs. Sandy Brindley, the chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said those issues should have been resolved by now. 'At a time when women and girls are facing unprecedented levels of misogyny, it's unbelievable that the government is dropping this landmark bill.' Hepburn also confirmed the devolved government had scrapped its plans to ban conversion practices via stand-alone Scottish legislation, dropping another of Sturgeon's pledges when she struck a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green party in 2021. Instead, the Scottish National party government has deferred to the UK government, and will work with UK ministers on agreeing Westminster-led legislation that would include Scottish measures. Kaukab Stewart, the equalities minister, said if those talks failed or were not trans-inclusive, then ministers in Edinburgh would consider introducing their own bill after next year's Holyrood elections. Both decisions signalled another significant shift by the Scottish government under John Swinney's leadership away from Sturgeon's rights-focused policy agenda, as the SNP drifts towards safer, centrist territory. Campaigners against conversion practices reacted furiously. 'This is the latest in a growing list of betrayals for LGBTQ+ Scots from this Scottish government. Scotland could have banned conversion therapy years ago,' said a spokesperson for End Conversion Therapy Scotland. 'LGBTQ+ rights are under attack right now, in a way we haven't seen since Thatcher's section 28 ban on 'promoting homosexuality'. Queer people are crying out for some solidarity from politicians. Instead, this news is a stab in the back.' Stewart said: 'Scotland remains absolute in our commitment to equality, the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, and ending conversion practices. 'These recent weeks have been challenging for our LGBTQI+ communities and we want you to know we stand with you and we will work tirelessly to ban conversion practices once and for all.' Kennedy argued that hate crime legislation was the wrong vehicle for misogyny criminalisation because women were not a minority group, which hate crime protections were designed for. 'Misogyny is so deeply rooted in our patriarchal ecosystem that it requires a more fundamental set of responses,' the working group report concluded. The police and courts needed much clearer legislation, centred on women, to guide them, it said.
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Poll: Half of young women don't trust politicians
Among the respondents, trust in politicians was low, with one in two saying they do not trust elected officials to 'represent their needs and advocate for their human rights'. 'Trust in politics has reached a record low amongst young women,' the 58-page report said. 'Many young women do not feel empowered to affect change. 'Many young women described feelings of hopelessness, believing their singular voice could not make a difference, and that their opinions and views do not matter. 'They recognised that as a young person it was harder to influence the way Scotland is run. Many also described their working-class background and how this adds to feeling powerless.' Some 58% of respondents said they feel as though they have 'no involvement' in decision making in Scotland. The research, done by the Young Women's Movement, spoke to 600 women between the ages of 16 and 35 (stock pic) (Image: Stewart Attwood) 'Young women described how a lack of representation in politics does not support their ability to have their needs met in decision making or feel like they have any influence in how Scotland is run,' the report added. 'Some expressed frustration or feelings of powerlessness due to Scotland being governed by Westminster, and how this impacts how they feel about decision making in Scotland. 'Others recognised how under-represented they are in politics, feeling like those in power do not represent their views or values.' READ MORE: Personal safety was one of the top three concerns among those surveyed, with two thirds saying they carried their keys in their hands while walking home at night in case they were attacked and a further 60% said they would share their locations with friends and family. As well as the research, the report also made recommendations to the Scottish Government, including intensifying efforts to combat 'misogyny and negative gender stereotypes in schools and educational settings' as well as introducing its Bill to tackle misogyny. The Bill has been mooted since the passage of the Hate Crime and Public Order Act, with the Government deciding to leave sex out of the legislation in favour of creating a standalone offence. Jenni Snell, the chief executive of the Young Women's Movement, said: 'The report makes for hard reading in places, with stark but unsurprising findings showing the hardships of being a young woman in Scotland today – particularly in regards to the criminal justice system and the widespread lack of access to justice for victims of gender-based violence. 'We were incredibly inspired by young women's stories and their resilience in the face of adversity, and I'd like to thank every young woman who took the time to speak with us about their experiences of human rights in Scotland.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Equality for women and girls is at the heart of our vision for a fairer Scotland. 'We are working across all parts of society to deliver this, including implementing the ambitious recommendations from the First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, delivering the Women's Health Plan and investing £21.6 million in Delivering Equally Safe projects to support survivors of gender-based violence.'
