Government urged to work with charity and expand pink card scheme

The Scottish Government is being urged to roll out a scheme aimed at helping those who have suffered violence or abuse because of their gender.

The SNP annual conference passed a motion calling for the Emily Test pink card scheme, set up by the mother of a student who took her own life after experiencing domestic abuse, to be further expanded.

The scheme, named after 18-year-old Emily Drouet, has already seen more than 100,000 cards distributed to staff at universities and colleges, detailing where support is available if someone speaks out about abuse.

The motion, passed overwhelmingly by SNP activists, calls for this to be expanded across the emergency services and to all staff working in education.

Photo from Emily's 18th birthday.

In weeks that followed, Emy was physically, psychologically & sexually abused

7 wks later, minutes after another unannounced visit by the abuser, our little girl died, alone & scared

Never ignore abuse, you can save a life💔#16DaysOfActivism pic.twitter.com/Ep82y4iBGK
— EmilyTest (@Emilytest12) November 25, 2020

Speaking in favour of this, SNP MSP Jenni Minto said: “Rolling out the Emily Test pink cards is an important part of supporting those who need help.”

The Argyll and Bute MSP said the murder of Sarah Everard in London had “exposed the pervasive and corrosive nature of men’s violence against women”.

She told the conference: “Every day, women are subjected to abuse, harassment and violence. The time to tackle these scars on our society is now.”

Adam McVey, the leader of Edinburgh City Council, said: “Gender-based violence shouldn’t be a woman’s issue – it’s a man’s issue.

“It’s not about what women wear, or what they say, it’s not about how they behave. It’s not about who a woman is in a relationship with, how long she leaves her drink unattended in a club. This is all about the behaviour of men.

“We need to keep a laser focus on that.

“If we are to tackle this issue properly, it is not about how we raise our daughters, it is about how we raise our sons.”