The Scottish Government has unveiled plans to improve support for women and girls with a learning disability who have experienced gender-based violence.
Evidence suggests that women and girls with learning disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing gender-based violence compared to other disabled and non-disabled women and girls. However, a lack of research involving women with learning disabilities means they are often considered a ‘hidden population’.
According to Iriss, this abuse is often pervasive meaning it can be normalised. This makes it difficult for women to identify abusive behaviours and is a significant barrier to accessing services.
The Equally Safe Delivery Plan has therefore set out to improve access to support services and ensure relevant educational settings are equipped to teach pupils about healthy relationships.
During the engagement process, the Scottish Government heard from practitioners and women with learning disabilities about the importance of preventing violence before it happens and ensuring that education settings have the necessary tools and resources to strengthen pupil understanding of healthy relationships.
They also heard from stakeholders about the pervasive barriers that women and girls with learning disabilities who have experienced violence face when seeking support, with the stakeholders emphasising the need for accessible support services and routes to justice.
To tackle this, the Scottish Government says it will develop an accessibility audit tool for Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) services from March 2025. The government will also:
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Violence against women and girls is abhorrent and has no place in modern Scotland. Since 2021, frontline projects backed by our Delivering Equally Safe Fund have supported nearly 60,000 adults, children and young people, and we are determined to build on that progress.
“This plan sets out our sustained focus on prevention, improving support services and ensuring the justice response is robust.
“Gendered abuse can happen in any community and to ensure that it is tackled effectively and equitably for all women, we are strengthening our response to the diverse ways that violence and abuse can occur.
“That includes recognising that abusers could be extended family members rather than partners – like in some cases of honour-based violence – and ensuring tailored support is provided for vulnerable groups, including women with learning disabilities and migrants.”
