Engender blog

Engender statement on the weaponisation of violence against women and girls

We are increasingly alarmed at the way women’s rights and safety are being weaponised to demonise minorities across the UK. This kind of distortion of the facts only causes harm to individuals and communities and does nothing to end violence against women and girls.  

As Engender, we want to add our voice to calls for action against the spread of hate and misinformation, and for protection and safe and legal routes to be provided for people fleeing war and crisis to the UK. We also want to express our solidarity with racialised and other minority communities who are being made to feel unsafe by hate speech, incitement of violence and far-right protests, including here in Scotland. 

Men’s violence against women and girls is endemic in our society and is caused by gender inequality. Spreading inaccurate and hateful rhetoric only generates more violence and creates a distraction from the political commitments that are needed to address it. Improvements to our social security system, investment in childcare, social care, education, housing and community resources, are the things that make a real difference to women. 

The false and racist narratives these groups are promoting ignore the fact that violence against women and girls is most commonly perpetrated by someone close to the victim. Last year, the UN reported that the home is the most dangerous place for women, with 60% of women killed by men globally in 2023 dying at the hands of a partner or family member. Two out of every five people arrested during far-right riots in summer 2024 had previously been reported to the police for domestic abuse.

Racism, Islamophobia and anti-migrant attitudes play a major role in the increased risk of violence that women of colour, asylum-seeking and refugee women face.  

The UK’s asylum and immigration systems compound this harm, particularly through the brutal No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, which increases women’s risk of gender-based violence and restricts access to support, including refuge accommodation.

Invitation to Tender: Equal Representation 2025/26 Candidate Research.

Engender’s Equal Representation in Politics Project aims to help create a Scotland where there is sustainable equal representation of women in all their diversity in politics, ensuring women’s perspectives shape decision-making, reducing gender inequality, and creating better outcomes for women and society.

The project seeks to create change by encouraging all those who hold power to shape the political landscape, including political parties, councils, government, and parliament, to take action to increase the representation of women and improve levels of diversity among women’s representation.

We are seeking a consultant:

• To review and collate a list of women MSPs who have publicly stated that they intend to stand down before the Holyrood 2026 elections.
• To review and collate the reasons given publicly by these MSPs for reaching the decision to stand down.
• To compile a list of candidates for each major party for the Holyrood 2021, broken down by protected characteristic where possible.
• To compile a list of candidates for each major party for the Holyrood 2026, broken down by protected characteristic where possible.
• To create and circulate a survey, and analyse and collate findings, of all women MSPs standing down on the factors that influenced their decision.

The deadline for tenders to be submitted is 5pm, Monday 15th September.

Please find all the details and how to apply, here.

Engender launches report on women’s experience of the election process 

Today, Engender has launched a new report: Women’s political journey: Exploring the election process and women’s experiences of abuse, exclusion and bias, including vital recommendations for improvement. Find out more about the report below.

“Someone said to me [during the election] and I quote, ‘we can’t win here with someone who looks like her.” 

The political arena is becoming increasingly hostile, especially for women and marginalised women.

Engender’s new report ‘Women’s Political Journey’ explores the candidate journey—from preparing to stand as a candidate, including all the interview and vetting processes, to being elected and what happens after.  

There is still an image of the ideal candidate as white, middle-class, able-bodied, and male. For anyone who falls outside these categories, this means being prepared for additional barriers.  

Our report shows that over 70% of respondents to a question on forms of abuse reported experiencing online harassment or trolling during their campaign. Only 11% felt “very safe” during their campaign period.

A survey respondent told us:

“I have been spat on, shouted at, abused and physically shoved countless times.”  

Sexist bullying is a persistent problem within some branches and local parties, with findings indicating that disabled and minoritised women may be at increased risk. These experiences can cause women to question their positions and political futures. It is widely recognised that social media presents significant risks for women in politics, with Black and minority ethnic women at greatest risk. 

57% of our survey respondents felt that positive action measures (PAMs) like quotas or all-women shortlists are ‘resented’ by some party members who feel their use is unfair or unnecessary. As has been reported to us, white men especially refuse to make space for other groups if it means sharing their privilege. Others reported only tokenistic acceptance of PAMs, reducing the ultimate impact of measures.  

Very few parties are consistently collecting equalities monitoring information on prospective candidates. This is vital when it comes to ensuring candidate diversity and proportionate representation of Scotland’s communities. 

Equal Representation Development Officer Noomi Anyanwu states: 

“Abuse, lack of support, and biases were reported widely among our survey participants and interviewees. Nearly 30% would not recommend candidacy to underrepresented groups. It’s understandable considering what women must endure to make it as politicians, but we don’t want to settle for this.” 

“Change needs to happen, so we urge political parties, governments, councils, and other stakeholders to implement measures and commit to equal and diverse representation. I want to see at least 50% women in our parliaments—for that to happen, we need to see a real culture change first.” 

Read the full report including vital recommendations for action here.

29 Organisations Urge Police Scotland to Reject “Disgraceful” Abortion Investigation Guidelines

This week, we united with 28 other women’s rights, health, and human rights groups to condemn UK police guidance that subjects grieving women experiencing pregnancy loss to criminal investigation.

We have written to Chief Constable Jo Farrell calling on Police Scotland to publicly reject controversial new guidelines that could subject women experiencing pregnancy loss to invasive criminal investigations, under existing abortion laws.  

The signatories – spanning women’s rights groups, abortion care providers and campaigners, healthcare bodies, human rights and equalities organisations and trade unions – have joined us in condemning the UK National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guidance on child death investigation as “disgraceful” and “misogynistic by design.”  

The updated guidance, comes after a dramatic upswing in abortion related investigation and prosecution of women in England and Wales. Earlier this week the UK Parliament moved to halt criminal sanctions against women for terminating their own pregnancies via a successful amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill.  

However, as this legislation only relates to England and Wales, a lack of clarity remains on whether these guidelines could still apply or be used in Scotland. Data published last year by Engender found that several abortion related cases have been pursued by police in Scotland in the last two decades. 

Speaking about the need for action north of the border, our Executive Director of Engender, Catherine Murphy said:  

“Women now find themselves in the perilous situation where the laws governing abortion in Scotland have not kept up with advancements like abortion medicines and reproductive tracking apps.  Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Scottish Parliament need to act urgently to end the scope for prosecutions and bring the law into the 21st century.” 

“The NPCC guidance describes women being targeted as ‘criminal suspects’ during one of the most sensitive and vulnerable experiences of their lives – pregnancy loss. It’s unconscionable.” 

The controversial NPCC guidelines outline scope for highly invasive investigation techniques including: 

• Searching women’s homes and treating them as crime scenes 

• Confiscating digital devices and reviewing personal data 

• Accessing medical records and reproductive tracking apps 

• Subjecting families to criminal investigation during bereavement 

Healthcare leaders have been unanimous in their opposition. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists described the guidance as “shocking,” and clinicians warn it creates a “climate of fear” among healthcare staff. 

“Women experiencing pregnancy loss need compassionate care, not criminal investigation,” said Dr Sinead Cook, Chair of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, Scotland Committee. “These methods violate fundamental rights to dignity, privacy and healthcare.” 

The letter warns that marginalised communities – including those in poverty, women of colour, disabled women, migrants, young women, LBT+ people, and those in rural areas – would be disproportionately impacted by such investigations. Evidence from England shows similar police actions have caused “life-changing harm,” resulting in severe mental health impacts, debt, and children taken into custodys. 

The World Health Organisation has explicitly called on governments to stop arrests, investigations and prosecutions for abortion and to suspend the criminal law being applied to pregnancy loss – a position supported by every major UK medical body. 

Signatories call on Police Scotland to: 

1. Publicly clarify that NPCC recommendations on abortion and stillbirth will NOT be adopted in Scotland 

2. Develop new guidance creating an effective moratorium on abortion investigations, aligned with WHO recommendations 

“Police Scotland has a choice,” said Jill Wood, Policy Manager at Engender, “They can follow the lead of health experts and human rights bodies, or they can adopt guidance that will cause demonstrable harm to women in Scotland. We urge them to choose compassion over criminalisation.” 

Signatories include Engender, Abortion Rights Scotland, Young Women’s Movement, Back Off Scotland, Humanist Society Scotland, Close the Gap, Scottish Women’s Convention, Scottish Women’s Budget Group, Zero Tolerance, Rape Crisis Scotland, Scottish Abortion Care Providers Network, Faculty for Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Scotland, Amnesty International UK, Scottish Women’s Aid, Royal College of Midwives, STUC, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Equality Network, Scottish Trans, Equate Scotland, Human Rights Consortium Scotland, British Pregnancy Advisory Service, Women’s Enterprise Scotland, Liberty, Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights, Amma Birth Companions, NUS Scotland, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE), Inclusion Scotland. 

Read the full letter here.