Domestic abuse register among proposals for new bill

A new register for domestic abuse offenders is one of the ideas for new Holyrood legislation in a consultation that launches today.

Pam Gosal, Conservative MSP for West Scotland, hopes to bring in a Domestic Abuse (Prevention) (Scotland) Bill containing further prevention and support measures that also include possible rehabilitation measures in relation to abuse offences, and domestic abuse education in schools.

"As it stands, many of those who commit domestic abuse are free to move around society with their violent past hidden from those around them", Ms Gosal writes in the foreword to her paper. "These abusers can move from community to community, and from relationship to relationship, while keeping their violent past a secret."

She adds that of the more than 65,000 domestic abuse incidents in Scotland in 2020-21 – the highest number ever recorded – half were committed by people who already had a history of domestic abuse. "I believe that these figures tell a story of a system that is failing to truly deter abusers, and is therefore failing victims too", she states.

Ms Gosal believes there are systemic problems within the current justice system surrounding domestic abuse, as well as issues around data collection which are preventing victim support services from helping victims in the most effective way.

Her register would operate in a similar way to the sex offenders register, requiring offenders registered on it to report certain changes in their circumstances to the police and acting as a deterrent both to would-be abusers and to reoffending.

She also wants to see mandatory rehabilitation measures as used in other countries, and better data collection especially regarding people with a disability or from an ethnic minority, in order to target resources more effectively.

Further, achieving a cultural shift also depends on shaping how abuse is viewed by young people: "Education on what constitutes a healthy relationship and understanding the signs of domestic abuse and its impact on others should, I believe, be provided to young people who are at school in Scotland. This would be a requirement under my proposal for a bill."

Access the consultation here. The closing date for responses is 20 November 2022.