Wise Women has returned to work after the festive period. We hope that women had a fun, peaceful and safe festive period, regardless of your faith, belief or religion.
As we look forward into 2024, our 30th Anniversary, Wise Women must question what our priorities will be for the next 12 months. There are so many options. So many areas where women are failed time and time again.
We will continue to provide our direct services to women and support our partners to help Glasgow become a “Feminist City” to be proud of.
All of this however is limited by the lack of protection women and girls experience in Scotland.
“In 2020 – 21 there were 2,176 rapes and attempted rapes reported to the police, but along 152 prosecution and just 78 convictions” (Rape Crisis Scotland)
In 2019 / 20 62,907 incidents of domestic abuse were reported to the police. In the same year 30,718 charges were reported to the procurator fiscal. (Domestic Abuse and Stalking Charges in Scotland 2021 -22, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service) Due to consistency in statistics over the years, this would suggest half of incidents do not progress.
This year therefore Wise Women will be campaigning to improve criminal justice and service responses to women who experience violence across the lifecycle.
In Scotland girls and women continually tell us about the violence and abuse they experience, but the response is often inadequate.
Workers struggle to support women experiencing coercive control in relationships, teachers report being unsure how to support girls under 16 years when they tell of harassment and abuse and we continue to see low sentencing from courts.
When we do not protect girls and women adequately, they are left to manage the violence and abuse themselves.
This is unacceptable. It is time for change.
Wise Women are committed to supporting Glasgow City Council and partners to achieve their Equality Duty to “eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation” and to promote women’s rights to safety in the city. This includes providing adequate protection from male violence and abuse.
We recognise we can only increase women’s safety together. No one service or organisation can achieve this alone, and we certainly cannot achieve it without women and girls being at the heart of decision making.
We therefore commit ourselves in 2024 to seek out partnerships and opportunities to improve protection for women and girls and to support Glasgow to be a city that women have the freedom to live, have fun and fulfil their full potential.
