Human Rights Day 2024

Today is the United Nations Human Rights Day. It takes place on the 10th December every year and marks the end of 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Based Violence, a global campaign calling for an end to all forms of gender based violence. 

The theme for this year’s Human Rights Day is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now” and it is a powerful statement that can empower people to stand up for human rights and recognise the power they have in making a change.

To mark the start of 16 Days of Activism we co-organised Moray’s first ever Reclaim the Night march. Hundreds of people attended and showed that they want to see an end to gender-based violence in Moray. They used their voices to call for justice and safety for all people in all places - whether in public, in private or online. Safety, justice and equality for all people in all places is a fundamental human right.  

Yet globally and locally, the daily experience of women, young people and people with marginalised gender identities is that they are not safe or equal. We are accorded less rights when it comes to being able to live our lives safely in these spaces.  The findings from recent reports are sobering:

• 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime (WHO, 2021).
• 97% of young women aged 18-24 in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in public spaces (UN Women UK, 2021)
• 77% of girls and young women aged 7 to 21 have experienced online harm in the past year (Girlguiding Girls’ Attitudes Survey, 2024)
• 64% of girls aged 13-21 had experienced sexual harassment at school in the past year (Girlguiding UK, 2017)
• 14,484 sexual crimes were recorded in Scotland in 2023-24. (Scottish Government, 2024)
  
• 63,867 domestic abuse incidents were recorded by Police Scotland in 2023-24. (Scottish Government, 2024)
• An estimated 1 in 5 (20%) of children have lived with an adult perpetrating domestic abuse. (NSPCC, 2011)
• One in five adults have experienced at least one form of child abuse, whether emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or witnessing domestic violence or abuse. (Office for National Statistics, 2020)
• 47% of trans people had experienced some form of sexual abuse from a partner or ex-partner. (Scottish Trans Alliance and LGBT Youth Scotland, 2010)
• 38% of female homicide victims were most likely to be killed by a partner or ex-partner in Scotland. (Scottish Government, 2024) 

While these are global and national statistics, they are still relevant to our work and life in Moray. As an agency we are often asked, ‘Does sexual violence really happen in Moray?’ ‘Is your service really needed here?’ But we know it does happen here in Moray. Gender-based violence happens here. Sexual violence happens here. 

In the year 2023-2024, 342 sexual crimes were recorded by the police in Moray. Over the past decade that’s an 87% increase. We know that we supported over 200 adults and young people affected by sexual violence and also received over 200 new referrals; and that Moray Women’s Aid supported over 700 women and children affected by domestic abuse. 

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change.  I am changing the things I cannot accept.” - Angela Davis

These are really grave statistics but there are things you can do to help. 

This year’s theme for Human Rights Day is “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now”. You and those around you have the power to stand up for the rights of others and make the future safe, just and equal. The collective power of survivors, women, young people, community members, allies and supporters coming together, building connection, speaking out and standing together in solidarity, should never be underestimated. Social movements are formed of it. Change happens because of it.

This is an issue that needs a community response- it needs all of us, and there are many small ways each of us can make a difference. Small acts of resistance against misogyny, rape culture and other forms of discrimination and abuse help make Moray, and the world, a safer, better place.

Here are some things you can do right now to end gender-based violence in Moray:

• Believing survivors when they take the courageous step to tell you that something happened to them. Sometimes what somebody has gone through and the cruelty they have experienced may seem inconceivable, but that does not mean it did not happen. 
• Donating to us to help us continue to provide our specialist, frontline response for people affected by gender-based violence in Moray. You could also fundraise in aid of us.  Fundraising is a great way to also raise awareness of our work and to engage members of the community in our cause.
• Combatting harmful myths and stereotypes about sexual violence- that often blame the victims because of what they were wearing or how they were behaving or how much they were drinking.  These pervasive myths can shame and silence survivors for many years and make them believe that what happened was their fault.  Rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse are never the fault of the victim. They are the responsibility and choice of the person who perpetrates them.  They are serious crimes, and there is never an excuse for them.
• Volunteer your time as a member of our board of trustees. Volunteering your time and effort helps us to continue the vital work we provide and it’s rewarding to know you are part of a lifeline to survivors of sexual violence and at the forefront of the fight to end sexual violence.
• Encourage your local representative to speak up about gender-based violence and support funding local, specialist services. You can find out more about who your representatives are, what MSPs do and how to contact them on the Scottish Parliament website and the Moray Council website.
• Share our campaigns and join our mailing list to find out more about what we do.