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New Equally Safe strategy launches

The refreshed Equally Safe strategy has been launched by the Scottish Government and COSLA.

Published during 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, the refreshed strategy is focused on increasing collaboration across sectors to tackle the attitudes and values that result in violence against women and girls.

As fund managers of the Scottish Government’s Delivering Equally Safe (DES) fund, Inspiring Scotland works with 121 projects across Scotland aiming to eradicate gender-based violence (GBV) reaching around 32,000 adults and children last year.

Siobhan Brown MSP, Minister for Victims and Community Safety, was joined at the Equally Safe Strategy refresh launch event by Amber Cully from Financially Included, one of the DES funded projects.

Financially Included is a partnership project between GEMAP Scotland and the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership dedicated to tackling economic abuse and improving responses for survivors. The project provides specialist advice to women who have experienced GBV and tailored training for workers in Glasgow on best practice in supporting survivors. The project has secured financial gains of over £860,000 since launching.

Since the previous iteration of the Equally Safe strategy, the Scottish Parliament has passed the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018,, creating a specific offence of domestic abuse that covers physical and psychological abuse as well as coercive and controlling behaviour.

The refreshed strategy will help shape and continue the work for a strong and flourishing Scotland where all individuals are equally safe and respected, and where women and girls live free from all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation — and the attitudes that help perpetuate it.

Read the new strategy here.

Read more about DES funded projects here.