Collective commitment to tackle gender-based violence

As the worldwide 16 Days of Activism campaign to raise awareness of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) draws to a close, Public Health Scotland (PHS) reinforces our support for collective action to tackle GBV and highlights our commitment to progressing gender equality in the workplace.

Chief Executive of PHS Angela Leitch said:

“Gender-Based Violence (GBV) damages the health and wellbeing of one in three women across the globe. Violence against women and children is a complex issue with many contributing and interlinked factors. There is no one solution but by recognising it as a public health issue – an issue that wrecks harm across the lifetime of those who experience it – the public sector in Scotland can come together to stop it.

“PHS provides tools and resources to support collective action to ending GBV. We also recognise the part that we play as an employer. This is why we are taking part in the second phase of pilots of the Equally Safe at Work accreditation programme. Local authorities involved in the first pilots have already shown the benefits of the activities involved, including awareness raising, staff surveys, and reviewing HR policies. Inequality in the labour market is known to be a leading contributor to GBV so this programme is an important part of Scotland’s action to prevent and eradicate violence against women and children.

“As the 16 Days of Activism comes to a close, we will continue to ask ‘What’s next’ in Scotland’s collective commitment to preventing and eradicate GBV.”

Read Scotland’s public health priorities and violence against women and girls.

Find out more about the Equally Safe at Work | Supporting employers to advance gender equality and prevent violence against women

For more information on the 2022 16 Days of Activism campaign visit the Improvement Service website and follow #WhatsNext on socials.
Find out more about the work PHS is undertaking to help tackle Gender Based Violence.