Greens: Abused women must be able to access help
Scottish Greens health spokesperson Alison Johnstone has supported calls for all health services to be able to respond to and support women suffering from domestic violence, after the UN called violence against women the “shadow pandemic”.
Speaking in a parliamentary debate to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Alison Johnstone highlighted the latest figures from the Femicide census, which shows that, on average, a woman was murdered every three days across the UK.
Alison Johnstone said: “The femicide report reveals that the killing of a woman, especially in a domestic setting, is often reported as an ‘isolated incident’ and ‘giving no cause for wider public concern’. But as the figures I just quoted painfully illustrate, there is every cause for wider public concern. These deaths frequently represent the failure of authorities to protect women from violence at the hands of men.”
She added: “We need a ‘no wrong door’ policy for women who are seeking help. Interactions with healthcare often present vital opportunities to identify cases of domestic abuse, but these opportunities have been limited during the pandemic. During current restrictions we need to make sure women have opportunities to come forward and that they get the support they need.”