'Domestic abuse register could save lives of victims'

If implemented, the register could act as a deterrent to would-be abusers and re-offenders while helping keep potential victims safe.

It would work in a similar way to the Sex Offenders’ Register, with home addresses and relationship statuses recorded by Police Scotland.

Since 2018-19, Police Scotland has recorded over 60,000 incidents of domestic violence each year, with 61,934 in 2022-23.

Campaigners like Fiona Drouet, the mother of Emily who took her own life in 2016 after a campaign of abuse from a university boyfriend, have hailed the proposals as a potential deterrent.

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Ms Drouet told The Herald: “Too often perpetrators move on to new victims, and the register would provide much needed transparency.

“A register could also act as a deterrent, as perpetrators would know there could be broader consequences for their actions.

“We know domestic abuse often happens behind closed doors, with perpetrators presenting themselves as good people to the outside world.”

While there is currently a domestic abuse disclosure scheme in Scotland, the onus is on the potential victim to request the details.

Speaking to The Herald as she works to finalise the proposals, Ms Gosal said: “What people don’t realise, is every life (lost to domestic violence) is somebody’s life. It is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s mother, somebody’s sister and cousin.

“When that life is gone it’s too late. We need to make sure we have more in place to protect people.

“If you do something wrong and you’re convicted, you should be on that register and if you’re on the register, you’re going to be monitored and it is that perpetrator that has to come forward with that information, otherwise it’s a criminal offence.”

The Bill has also received cross-party support from more than 40 MSPs.

In addition to the register, the proposals will also introduce mandatory rehabilitation measures for offenders and increase education around the subject.

Ms Gosal said: “I think the Bill will have a massive impact. It will keep people safe. The way to stop it happening in the future is to be proactive with education to help the future generations and we need rehabilitation but in that middle ground we need that register. It is so key.

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“This is what holds everything together. It’s where I think, honestly, a lot of lives will be saved because the police authorities will know that person is in a different relationship and if they’re convicted of domestic abuse, then the police will make sure they will know what’s happening.

“And maybe that person won’t know that their new partner is an ex-domestic abuser, but this will allow them to know.”

Ms Gosal is also hoping the legislative proposals would raise awareness of domestic abuse in BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) communities.

It is the inspiration behind the Bill, having watched her mother Balbir provide a safe haven to women in the community during the 1970s.

She did not realise it at the time that the women, often covered in blood or bruises were domestic abuse victims.

Police Scotland only records the gender of victims, with religious and cultural factors not covered.

“I come from Indian heritage – yes I’m born in Glasgow but I watched it in Argle Street. My mum had a shop, people would come into her shop bleeding, crying. She would feed them around the gas fire.

“I’d be running in, seeing this and I didn’t know what it was until much later in my life until those people she helped, their children and now grandchildren are contacting me saying ‘have you any idea what your mum did at that time?’

“There were no organisations (at that time) and if there were, people didn’t trust them in those days. We’re talking around over 40 years ago, so the local shop was very important. People would trust you.

“These are people from BAME backgrounds. Sometimes people from BAME backgrounds – in fact quite a lot of the time – people from BAME backgrounds think it’s ok to hit your wife. It’s been coming on for years that it’s ok, and we need to stop that. It’s not ok.

“But how can we stop that if we don’t know what’s going on out there? If the data was there, we could see how big the problem is and we could help those people.”