MSP Pam Gosal pushing for law to register domestic abusers

Pam Gosal hopes to build cross-party agreement to pass her bill into law

An MSP is hoping to change the law to create a register of domestic abusers in Scotland - similar to the sex offenders register.

Pam Gosal's domestic abuse prevention bill proposal would also make school-age education on domestic abuse compulsory.

And it would require government to look at access to abuse services for under-represented communities.

A consultation on the proposed bill has begun at Holyrood.

Police Scotland recorded 65,251 incidents of domestic abuse in 2020-21, an increase of 4% on the previous year and the fifth year in a row the number of incidents has risen.

Ms Gosal, Scottish Conservative MSP for West Scotland, described domestic abuse as a "horrendous crime".

She said her proposal could "help to crack down on this appalling crime" by helping deal with some repeat offenders going on to abuse several partners.

It would also introduce mandatory rehabilitation measures - such as anger management or restorative justice - for people convicted of domestic abuse or subject to a court protection order.

Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Gosal spoke about first seeing evidence of domestic abuse when she was at school in the 1980s.

She said: "Just to take you back to Argyle Street in Glasgow, mum had a shop just across the road from our tenement flat where we lived. I would always find women sitting there either bruised, bleeding or crying.

"At the time at such a young age I didn't understand what was going but as I grew up I started to realise and my mum started to let me know what was going on. That's something that this domestic abuse prevention bill will really help."

In May 2021 Ms Gosal became the first Indian Sikh MSP and one of the first woman of colour elected to the Scottish Parliament.

She hopes to build cross-party agreement to pass her bill into law.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown has already agreed to meet her to discuss the proposals.

Ms Ghosal said it had been "heart-breaking" to speak to domestic abuse survivors about the "horror they've gone through when seeking safety and justice".

"In many cases, repeat offenders have managed to get away with making life hell for several victims before they are apprehended," she said.

"I am also seeking to expand awareness of domestic abuse and access to services for those in need, particularly in BAME communities where I know that too often, domestic abuse goes unpunished."

She added: "I hope on this issue that politicians across the Scottish Parliament will set aside political differences and work together."