Charities in remote areas are battling to cope with domestic abuse cases
Island communities are struggling to cope with domestic abuse cases after support charities said their caseloads were overflowing.
Shetland Women’s Aid has experienced a near doubling of cases while its sister charity in Orkney reports a 40% increase over the last two years.
The groups say the figures are a stark reminder of how the problem of abuse permeates all aspects of society.
It comes on top of Scottish Government figures showing a rise of 11% in sexual violence across the country in 2014/15 from 8,604 to 9,557 - the highest total for 44 years.
Every category of gender-based violence has been dealt with by the charities including sexual exploitation and rape, they said.
Staff believe the rise in reporting is partly down to more women feeling confident about coming forward.
It illustrates how important it is not to remain silent about what we've seen - Karen MacKelvie
"It illustrates how important it is not to remain silent about what we've seen," said Karen MacKelvie, a Shetland Women’s Aid support worker.
"By far the biggest category is still domestic abuse, the scourge of homes across the world, where one person in a relationship decides they are entitled to hold the other person hostage in their own home and strip them of their human rights, and it's time to blow the lid off," she added.
"It's time to have a real honest look at Shetland life and Shetland attitudes and admit that some of them are due for an upgrade."
The charity has invited Michael Kaufman co-founder of the ground-breaking White Ribbon Campaign, to the islands to highlight the issue.
Kaufman’s campaign encourages men to take control of their actions and understand how women are affected by violence.
He said: "In Scotland, in Canada where I'm from, and all around the world, women have been courageously standing up to abusive relationships and working to raise public awareness about the violence committed by some men.
"Finally, more and more men are saying, "we belong at your side." After all, the majority of men don't use physical, sexual, or emotional violence in our relationships.
"But historically we've been silent about the violence committed by some of our brothers. Through that silence we've allowed the violence to continue.
"Now, many men are looking at their own attitudes and behaviour. More are learning to question what goes on around them, whether sexual harassment at work, to sexual and physical violence in relationships."
Kaufman will also visit Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow during his time in Scotland.
