AN online vigil to remember women and children who have died as a result of domestic abuse was held on Thursday.
The memorial, organised by Scottish Women’s Aid’s Survivor Reference Group, saw women and allies across Scotland light candles and tweet the phrase ForThemAll, in memory of those who have been murdered by abusive men, or died by suicide or trauma related to their experiences of abuse.
Politicians from across the spectrum joined the vigil including Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison.
It forms part of Scottish Women’s Aid wider 16 days of activism to end gender based violence campaign and the vigil will highlight the need for more comprehensive data to understand the full impact of domestic abuse fatalities.
Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “Our vision is for a Scotland with no domestic abuse, where vigils to remember the women and children who died from abuse are a thing of the past.
“Unfortunately, we are still far from realising that vision, and domestic abuse deaths continue to ravage Scotland’s families and communities.
“And so it is right that this vigil is taking place so we can reflect upon the lives so needlessly lost to domestic abuse and pledge ourselves to renewed effort to end domestic abuse. Every domestic abuse related death was preventable.
“I would like to thank the Survivor Reference Group both for their tireless work in bringing this much-needed event to fruition and for their courage in helping us transform Scotland.
“The ForThemAll vigil will be held during the 16 days of activism. This year, our campaign highlights the many costs of leaving for women experiencing domestic abuse.
“We know that for too many women and children in Scotland, a premature death is the ultimate cost of leaving an abuser. That injustice should be at the forefront of all our minds when we light our candles on December 8.”
