Violence against children and young people is on the rise and it is great to know the government is finally taking this issue seriously. The £2million pledged by the First Minister is an extremely welcome starting point and will help tackle this scourge.
It should have not taken our call for action for ministers to intervene. Our campaign started when we exposed the shocking assault of autistic schoolgirl Abbie Jarvis at a skatepark in Glasgow.
The horrific revelations led to more worried parents coming forward to demand action. The Scottish Government should have responded immediately by calling a summit of parents and experts.
Our campaign has called for funding to ensure every community has a place for teenagers to go. While £2million is a great start, it can only ever be a small step in the right direction.
We hope no one in the Scottish Government believes this problem can be solved by ticking a funding box. Violence has deep-rooted causes and tackling them at their root is key.
As retired Police Scotland chief inspector Graham Goulden said, the government pledge is a “breakthrough” but preventing youth violence from taking place in the first place is crucial.
The First Minister wants to work with the Record, and all interested partners, to address these issues and we will continue to campaign to protect Scotland’s kids and give them a brighter future.
There also needs to be progress on another of our demands, namely social media giants enforcing policies on tackling harmful content. The government must leave no stone unturned in tackling a scourge that is harming young people and their families.
Brexit bureaucracy is damaging the Scottish live music industry
A number of lies were told by the right-wing Tories who promised Brexit would lead to a bright new dawn. One of the whoppers was that leaving the European Union would be good for business.
The reality is Brexit has put up obstacles to firms, particularly small businesses. Our story today about the impact Brexit is having on Scotland’s gig venues is a case in point.
German punk band Trigger Cut were stopped from entering the UK after being ordered to produce documents no one had told them about. Chris Cusack, manager of Bloc in Glasgow, said “we are haemorrhaging touring acts” due to Brexit bureaucracy.
This farce is bad for musicians, terrible for venue operators and awful for fans wanting to see their heroes. The Tories should hang their heads in shame for foisting this disaster on the UK.
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