Aberdeen North Liberal Democrats
Lib Dems appalled at rate of domestic abuse
October 5, 2009 3:30 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
The level of domestic abuse in Scotland has been steadily
rising over the last 10 years and now stands at a frightening
figure according to statistics obtained by the Liberal Democrats.
In answers to parliamentary questions lodged by Justice
spokesman Robert Brown MSP, Ministers revealed there were
49,255 incidents of domestic abuse recorded by the police in
2007-08. This represents a 39% increase in incidents against
women and a 168% rise in incidents against men over the last 10 years.
The figures were particularly worrying in the Northern
Constabulary area, which saw a 105% rise in incidents against
women and 132% in incidents against men.
Central Scotland Police force area also saw rises of 122% in
incidents against women and 217% in incidents against men.
Commenting, Mr Brown said:
"The number of incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland is
appalling. Each one of these cases, almost fifty thousand in
number, represents a human life in turmoil.
"A range of services including doctors, social workers and the
police can help; they must be vigilant to identify domestic
abuse early and do all they can to support the victims.
"But, Ministers must also tackle the underlying causes, notably
drug and alcohol abuse. We need to see a cultural change to
stamp out this worrying problem once and for all.
"The enormous increase in the number of incidents against men
may reflect more male victims speaking out. This is a welcome
cultural shift but the stigma is still there. This must change
through education and support for male victims of abuse."
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