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One in five
women in north Ayrshire will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
30% of people believe that women who flirt are
partially responsible for being raped. Society needs to challenge attitudes
which blame women.
Local Labour MSP Allan Wilson says society needs to challenge attitudes
which blame women for dressing provocatively and ‘giving off the wrong
signals’. The Cunninghame North MSP attended the debate called by the
Scottish Executive to discuss the issues facing women subjected to domestic
abuse, rape or sexual assault.
“The Scottish Executive is committed to tackling gender-based violence,
including domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault and has committed over
£3.5 million to support Violence Against Women and the Domestic Abuse
Service Development Fund. In addition the Scottish Executive has
committed funding to every rape crisis centre in Scotland up to 2008,
provided £250,000 core funding to Scottish Women’s Aid and in 2004 set
up the first specialist domestic abuse court to fast track cases of
domestic abuse and to provide better information and support to victims”
said Mr Wilson.
“One in five women in north Ayrshire will experience domestic abuse in
their lifetime. This is a disturbing figure.”
“The most recent report by Amnesty International stated that 30% of
people believe that women who flirt are partially responsible for being
raped. Even more worrying is the fact that a quarter of those who
responded to the report
believed a woman was partially or totally responsible for being raped if
she wore revealing clothing” said Mr Wilson.
“These findings are disturbing in the 21st century but it is because of
views such as these that we must continue to challenge these myths that
surround the reality of violence against women.”
North Ayrshire Women’s Aid supported Allan Wilson’s stand:
“Women’s Aid unequivocally states that no woman is responsible for being
raped or assaulted. The blame lies firmly with the perpetrator. We agree
that we must continue to challenge the myths that surround the reality
of violence against women and work to change attitudes still prevalent
in our society towards women who have been violently assaulted” said a
spokeswoman for North Ayrshire Women’s Aid.
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