Abuse of women in Caithness and elsewhere is abhorrent
Holyrood Notebook by Rhoda Grant
I was delighted to attend the Scottish Labour Conference in Glasgow last month where I was able to attend fringe events on reducing poverty, cultivating sustainable industries, the Land Reform Bill and nature friendly farming and crofting practices.
There were several welcome announcements at the conference, not least the pledge by Anas Sarwar to end the 8am rush for appointments with a GP.
It is a critical failure that when people are at their sickest and most worn down, or desperate to get their dependents in for treatment, that they have to scrap for availability during an ever-narrowing early morning window. A Scottish Labour Government would commit that more resource will be given to GPs so that people can be seen when they need to be.
It’s always exciting as we gear up for a new election season and begin to see the opportunities a Labour Scottish Government would offer us.
I was delighted to welcome the Scottish Human Rights Commission to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee last week to discuss their Spotlight Project on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the Highlands and Islands. It was personally important to me to see that they were able to present to committee because it does highlight significant accountability gaps in rural living, including in health, food, housing and clothing.
I focused my questions on flexibility of policy and accountability. Since the report’s publication in November, the press associated with it, the scrutiny both inside and outside parliament – including my Members’ Debate – I am yet to see any tangible action to address the urgent calls to address homelessness, hunger, clothing and accessibility to sexual and reproductive services.
What shone through from that committee evidence session was the resilience of rural communities including Caithness and the generosity of communities and third-sector organisations to fill in those gaps as best as possible. That is particularly the case with food banks who often have volunteers going above and beyond to respect confidentiality while also providing nutritious food to struggling families.
It was an interesting evidence session and from it, I believe there needs to be more research done on rural inequalities and how that can impact on life – especially on those facing additional inequalities such as disability, addiction and poverty.
Lastly, I wish to commend Police Scotland on their work on issuing Kevin Booth a worldwide travel ban following his acts of violence on vulnerable women both in the UK and abroad. His acts on vulnerable women are abhorrent and I am glad that his ability to target others will be curtailed.
I have spent many years campaigning and advocating for women who are victim to exploitation and human trafficking. It is a myth that this does not happen in rural areas. It happens everywhere and it is important that Police Scotland, statutory duty holders and third-sector organisations are provided with the recourses to provide support to victims. This case, however, highlights how difficult it can be to prosecute.
• Rhoda Grant is a Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
