White Ribbon Scotland spoke out after the latest settlement from ministers
A charity working to tackle violence against women has called for longer-term funding commitments from the Scottish Government, following the announcement of a funding uplift from Holyrood.
Rebekah Cheung of White Ribbon Scotland told the Herald the news that more than 100 organisations aiming to prevent violence against women will share in a funding uplift of £2.4 million from the Scottish Government should be welcomed.
However, she underlined the need for charities like hers to get money over a longer period of time.
The latest funding comes from an increase in the government’s Delivering Equally Safe (DES) fundfrom £19.2m to £21.6m for 2025/26.
This is the only income stream for the charity and is allocated by the Scottish Government each year.
Ms Cheung, a survivor of sexual assault, runs training sessions for White Ribbon Scotland, which focuses on men taking action to prevent violence towards women.
She said previous talk of five-year funding settlements would provide stability for her organisation and others.
Ms Cheung told the newspaper: “We can’t really make plans of how we are going to make such a seismic shift in attitudes and cultures towards women and girls without knowing there’s a future for our work.
“We are always going to welcome more money in the pot. We would just be looking for that to be carried on as the years go by.
“Until we are able to get a significant amount for prevention then we won’t be able to do enough.
“If we knew we were getting a little bit more funding for a few more years, that would put us in a much better place for long-term planning and security as a charity. It’s really important work we are doing and I think the focus on prevention is obviously now deservedly getting the attention it’s needed as we can’t just keep on fixing the problems after they have happened.”
White Ribbon Scotland currently employs three people, but warned that support to eradicate violence against women is needed now more than ever.
She added: “We are doing a lot at the moment but how good would that work be if there were three more of us?
“Women have been fighting for gender equality for years and have only got to a certain point. Without men and boys advocating for this, it’s never going to happen.
“It’s not been a well-kept secret that violence against women and girls has been getting a lot worse. What we seem to be tackling now is something that we weren’t tackling five or six years ago when it comes to the extreme misogyny online so to be able to nip those sorts of attitudes in the bud we are needed now more than ever.
“Violence against women is constantly evolving. Until the underlying factor of men disliking women and treating women poorly is solved, there’s always going to evolve. Nothing’s going to change if we don’t tackle this.
“We can’t really make plans of how we are going to make such a seismic shift in attitudes and cultures towards women and girls without knowing there’s a future for our work.”
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart told the Herald: “Grassroots organisations across Scotland are at the heart of tackling violence against women and girls. Their work is fundamental to creating a country free from gender-based abuse.
“This funding boost will support these organisations, will help prevent abuse occurring and ensure that women and girls who have experienced violence can continue to access the support they deserve.”
