An education programme aimed at combating gender-based violence must be expanded to more schools, Scottish Labour has said.
The call came after it emerged that the programme only runs in about a third of Scottish secondary schools.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Labour MSP Monica Lennon, equalities secretary Kaukab Stewart said that 116 out of 361 state-funded secondary schools are registered with the Equally Safe at School programme.
The Scottish government initially forecast that the programme, described as a “whole-school approach to preventing gender-based violence” - which began on a trial basis in 2017 - would reach 48 per cent of local authority secondary schools by 2020.
Schools ‘vital’ to tackle gender-based violence
Pauline McNeill, Scottish Labour’s justice spokesperson, said: “School is a vital opportunity to break the cycle of abuse and make sure that all young people, especially boys, understand the principles of respect and keeping each other safe.
“Yet it seems that up to two-thirds of pupils may be missing out on this valuable education.”
Ms McNeill added: “With recorded domestic abuse incidents on the rise, the SNP must ensure that every child receives the life skills they need to stay safe and interact responsibly with others.”
Labour pointed to domestic abuse and sexual crime figures that it said showed gender-based violence is “endemic” in society.
Domestic abuse crimes rose by 25 per cent in the year to September 2024, figures show, with the 31-35 age group seeing the highest incidence rate.
Meanwhile, at least 37 per cent of 14,484 sexual crimes recorded in 2023-24 related to a victim under the age of 18. The victims in the vast majority of rapes and sexual assaults were female.
Ms McNeill said: “Violence against women and girls is endemic and we need to tackle misogyny and sexist attitudes with children to ensure they grow up with healthy attitudes to one another.”
Earlier this year guidance on tackling gender-based violence was published for Scottish schools.
Described as the “first-ever national approach to gender-based violence for schools”, it was a response to national research that highlighted growing concerns about misogynistic views and language in schools.
The guidance was launched by then first minister Humza Yousaf and education secretary Jenny Gilruth, with Mr Yousaf emphasising that “prevention and early intervention are key”.
Misogyny in schools ‘deeply concerning’
In response to the fresh concerns raised by Labour, a Scottish government spokesperson said: “The rise of misogynistic behaviour in schools is deeply concerning and we published our framework on preventing gender-based violence in schools earlier this year to tackle this.
“This framework supports schools to address the underlying causes of gender-based violence, particularly gender inequality, and ensue appropriate action is taken in response to incidents.”
The spokesperson added: “Our Equally Safe delivery plan contains a range of actions to prevent violence against women and girls across all education settings in Scotland.
“We also continue to fund and support programmes to address gender-based violence and sexual harassment in schools, including Equally Safe at School, and are working with education partners to increase uptake to help prevent violence before it occurs.”
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