 The next item of business is a debate on motion 1, 2, 4, 1, 6, in the name of Co-Cab Stewart on international women's day global perspective. I would invite those members who would wish to speak in the debate to please press the request-to-speak buttons and I call on Co-Cab Stewart to speak to and to move the motion. Up to 12 minutes please minister. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is a privilege to open the debate today. My first opening speech to Parliament as the Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development. I am delighted to be supporting a cabinet that is majority women, indeed believed to be the highest proportion of any government in the world and a clear demonstration of our commitment to equality in action. Joining the ministerial team is an honour, particularly so as the first woman of colour to hold a ministerial position in Scotland. While I am proud to be that first woman, I am determined that I will not be the last. Women of colour are leaders in their communities in Scotland and around the world and should be reflected in the leaders we elect to serve us. I look forward to working with colleagues from across the chamber. It is a privilege to speak to the motion to mark international women's day this year's theme being inspire inclusion. It serves as a reminder to us that gender inequality affects everyone, resourcing and amplifying the voices of women, girls and other marginalised groups and advocates for human rights, particularly in the global south, is a vital lever for advancing gender equality in the pursuit of a fairer world. We meet today at a time of increasing global conflict as our concerns continue to grow about the impact on all civilians affected by violence, and we know that conflict disproportionately affects women. We see that in devastating reports from NGOs in Gaza, from an increase in miscarriages and premature births, pregnant women having C-sections without anaesthetic. Others are forced to use scraps of tents in place of period products. The evidence is clear. UN Women reports that a peace agreement that includes women in 35% is more likely to last 15 years or more. Despite that, 18 peace agreements reached in 2022, only one was overseen by women representatives. When I represented this Parliament in the 66 Commonwealth parliamentary conference in Ghana, there was a clear thread amongst the remarkable and inspiring parliamentarians that I met that human rights are not just for some, but they are for all. We must do more to ensure women's full involvement to achieve and sustain peace and stability. Last week marked the second anniversary of Russia's illegal war against Ukraine. I know that every member of this Parliament is shocked and appalled at the resulting violence and humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold. Providing support and sanctuary for displaced people from Ukraine remains the priority for this Government. Since the war started, 26,000 have come to the UK, sponsored by a Scottish host or the Scottish Government. 60 per cent of all arrivals are women, but we are particularly concerned that the UK Government charges changes to the visa, which will make it harder for families to be rewited in the UK. We are investing more than £100 million in 2023-24 and more than £40 million in 24-25 in the Ukrainian resettlement programme to ensure that people continue to receive a warm Scots welcome and are supported to rebuild their lives in our communities for as long as they need to call Scotland their home. Ruth Maguire? I previously raised concerns that there are vulnerabilities, even in a safe country like Scotland, for women who are resettling. Can the minister say how the Scottish Government is ensuring that women are kept safe, particularly when they move between locations? I thank the member for that intervention. Certainly, when you are moving around, it is easy to slip through the system, but we have our equally safe strategy that I hope will capture those women within that. We must push forward to ensure that women and girls' rights are at the heart of everything that we do at home and abroad. Our global perspective complements domestic equality policy, and the Conservative amendment rightly draws attention to the unacceptable practice of female genital mutilation, which is the physical manifestation of a deep-rooted gender inequality. FGM is illegal in Scotland and is recognised internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It is important that we work collectively to prioritise both protection and prevention. Globally, there is a growing momentum towards adopting a feminist approach to international policy considerations, one that is fair, intersectional and human rights-based. In Scotland, we are committed to delivering a feminist approach in all of our international work. As part of this, we will continue to strive to give people most affected by structural inequalities and injustice, conflict, climate change and environmental damage a platform to speak for themselves, influence and make decisions. Our commitment to invest in women and girls as advocates for human rights is clear. We have invested in the Scottish human rights defenders fellowship programme, and, as part of that, in 2324, we are supporting three women from the global south to undertake fellowships in Scotland on gender and the environment. Since the programme was established in 2018, we have welcomed 17 human rights defenders, the majority of whom have been women from 16 countries to participate in the programme, supporting them to further develop their skills and networks in safety. We also fund the 1325 Women in Conflict Fellowship, delivered by Beyond Borders. UNSCR 1325 was the first security council resolution on women, peace and security. Our fellowship programme has to date helped 362 women peace builders by providing training and building their capacity in the prevention and resolution of conflict. That is why I am pleased to announce today that we have just awarded the contract for our new international development women and girls fund. Following a competitive process, the fund is the first new programme to be launched as part of the Equalities programme following our 2021 international development review. We will be delivering this fund in partnership with the chorus, in collaboration with the forum for African women educationalists in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, the main aim of this new £3 million Women and Girls Fund is to support the advancement of gender equality and the rights of women and girls in our African partner countries. We recognise the lack of funding for women's rights in the global south. According to the OECD in 2021, less than 1 per cent of global bilateral overseas development assistance for gender equality and women's empowerment went specifically to women's rights organisations and movements. The very organisations that are the key drivers of change for addressing gender equality. When gender equality remains one of the greatest human rights challenges globally, this simply isn't good enough and this fund puts feminist principles into action. As we begin phase 1, taking a grassroots participatory approach, the focus and delivery mechanisms will be designed by Malawian, Rwandan and Zambian women and girls. Through this process, local women and girls will be empowered to define and meet their own priorities. They will have the decision making power. The aim is to challenge and shift typical structures, structural inequalities, moving beyond simply hearing the voices of women and girls and ensuring that their voices actually influence the actions that are being taken. Reflecting on our commitment to equalise this power, the fund will provide direct funding to local women and girl-led organisations to support them to advocate for and advance the rights of women and girls in their own cultural contexts. I am also pleased to note that a guidance note outlining our approach to mainstreaming gender equality across our international development portfolio was published a few weeks ago. That aligns with our commitments to do no harm and to build more gender responsive programmes. This new mainstreaming approach will equally apply to our new health and education programmes, which we are also launching in 2024. It is important to recognise that women are not a homogenous group. We all exist in our wonderful multifaceted diversity. We must remember that achieving gender equality is not just one glass ceiling to be smashed. For many women, that metaphor does not just illustrate the complexity of their experience when facing unique and compounding intersectional inequality. I know that even if we break the glass ceiling and step into positions of influence, we then face the glass walls and we continue to encounter prejudice, to not have our voices heard and are overlooked when it comes to decisions that affect us. To truly tackle structural inequality, gender inequality cannot be considered in isolation from other forms of discrimination. That is why we must ensure that intersectionality is at the heart of the feminist approach and ensure that the voices amplified are as diverse as the communities impacted by our interventions. By investing in women's organisations, feminist networks and grassroots movements as advocates for human rights, we can support those who are speaking out for structural change and amplify the voices that are too rarely heard. In conclusion, I am clear that inspiring inclusion requires a participatory feminist approach that invests in women and girls in the pursuit of transformed national and international systems that work for people and place. I am pleased to move that motion in my name. I now call on Megan Gallagher to speak to and to move amendment 12416.1. I start by taking this opportunity to welcome co-capture to her post as minister. We work together on the Equalities Committee and I look forward to exchanges in the chamber from now on. International Women's Day is an opportunity to reset our focus on what we can do to improve the lives of women here, in the UK and across the world. Why do we need to mark this date in our diaries? UN Women explains that, globally, women are paid less than men, less likely to work, more likely to work in informal and vulnerable employment, take higher proportion of unpaid care, are most likely to take up the majority of caring responsibilities and more likely to be victims of domestic abuse and, of course, as the minister pointed out, have less rights than our male counterparts worldwide. That is why we mark International Women's Day, not just to celebrate those who have been leading the charge to improve the lives of women globally, but to raise awareness of the inequalities that women face daily. I have heard from the minister of the impact that recent conflicts have had, especially on women, and I am certain that we will hear more as the debate progresses today on the many issues that women face when they are confronted with the brutality of war. I have spoken in previous debates in this chamber surrounding the illegal invasion of Ukraine and I will never ever forget the bombing of the hospital in Mariupol that claimed the life of a pregnant woman and her baby. I have also spoken on the Gaza-Israel conflict. I think that we will all remember the 7 October 2023 as the day that Hamas weaponised sexual violence, because we did see videos of naked and bloodied women defiled by Hamas on the day of the attack and it emerged on social media for the whole world to see and watch on in horror. We have heard witnesses sharing their trauma of seeing women raped before they were dead, some raped while they were injured and some while they were already dead and terrorists raped their lifeless bodies. Or, of course, the video of the women who were pregnant that had their womb ripped open while still alive and her unborn baby stabbed before being murdered herself, gang rape, mutilation and execution. That is what happened to innocent women enjoying a rave that was designed to promote peace. Now, having to watch on while women and children of Gaza are trapped in a state of conflict, we shortage of food, shelter and hope. As the minister highlighted in dire situations, praying that the fighting will stop to prevent further innocent people from dying. That might be graphic detail to share during a debate on International Women's Day, but I do believe that it has to be shared to make sure that we are looking at this from a global perspective. Because those were women who were someone's mother, daughter, niece, cousin or friend, but also they were the women that paid a heavy price of war and will continue to do so while those conflicts are ongoing. As this Parliament continues to look at the global perspective of this International Women's Day, we must also look at the other issues experienced by women globally. Female genital mutilation became illegal here in the UK in 1985. However, on Friday 16 February this year, Amina Newer, who was 39, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for FGM against a young woman abroad in Kenya. Met Detective secured the conviction after a complex and sensitive investigation after the victim confided in a teacher about the abuse that had taken place nearly 12 years previously. Since that conviction, they might have encouraged more victims to come forward to seek support from organisations and the police. I hope that the Scottish Government will echo those calls here in Scotland, because it does shock me that in 2024 we still have cases of FGM here in the UK. Amina Newer was the reason for me including the FGM part of the amendment in today's debate, because those who inflict pain and suffering on innocent people should never, ever be able to get away with those heinous crimes. Rare though those cases may be, I do not think that we still know the true extent of FGM and the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes against young women and girls. We must make sure that innocent women and girls are protected here in Scotland and, of course, within the rest of the UK. I thank Megan Gallacher for giving way. During the passage of the FGM bill in the last session, committee heard from ethnic minority women about their challenges who suffered from FGM, their challenges in accessing healthcare that was suitable for them. Would you agree with me that that is something that we absolutely have to address? We absolutely do. This is something that I know has been cross-party supported in the past. I think that we can continue to be cross-party moving forward in this to make sure that women who have had horrendous crime inflicted on them get the health and support that they need. I have spent a lot of time today talking about the difficult and heinous crimes committed against women globally. I would like to finish by turning my attention to the UK where I began my remarks. Although there are issues that we need to raise that are happening right across the world, women here need Governments to work for them to promote them, to encourage them, to give them opportunities, and, most importantly, to protect them and their rights. Whether it is fulfilling the Government's pledge to introduce free-funded childcare from nine months onwards, encouraging more girls to study STEM courses, protecting single-sex spaces and introducing laws to protect women if they are victims of crime, women just want Governments to get on with it. That is a really important message that we can try to come together today to bring. Of course, those debates are for another day because they go into various different portfolios and we do not have enough time to debate all of them in isolation. I close by turning to all parents and carers out there who are bringing up guiding, coaching and inspiring future generations of young women here in Scotland and beyond. I just want to say thank you. Thank you for everything that you do to raise the next generation of women who, I hope, will go on to be leaders in business, economics, academia and, dare I say it, another future First Minister or Prime Minister, please. We, as parliamentarians, have so much to do to improve the lives of women, but it makes me proud to be an MSP on days like this when we all can come together to celebrate International Women's Day. Thank you. I am not sure if Ms Gallacher moved her amendment. Oh, sorry, I moved the amendment in my name. Many thanks. I now call on Kara Mawkin up to six minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I also take the opportunity to welcome the minister to her role? Presiding Officer, on behalf of Scottish Labour, can I welcome the opportunity to have this debate today and indeed welcome International Women's Day 2024, and its key theme of inspire inclusion. I think that it would only be right that, at the start of my contribution, to focus on the global context in which we have this debate today. Around the world, women face significant challenges, but some examples this year feel particularly heinous. As noted in the motion just over two years ago, Russia began a violent full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the impacts of that on Ukrainian women have been devastating. We know the impact that this has had on the Ukrainian people who continue to stand so strongly in the face of significant adversity, and we know that the impact on women in particular is disproportionate. Ukrainian women have been displaced internally and have had to seek refuge in countries such as our own to protect their safety, and in many cases the children's safety. Presiding Officer, these women will always be welcome here for as long as they wish to make Scotland their home, and I hope that, in good time, the option will be there for a safe return to Ukraine for those who desire it. Scotland and the UK should always be ready to provide safe haven to those fleeing horrific war. That brings me to the suffering of women in Palestine and Israel. The attacks on October 7 and the concerning reported treatment of Israeli women is deplorable and wholly unacceptable, and that has rightly been met with widespread condemnation across the world. Following that, we have witnessed all-out war on the Gaza Strip and the mass killing of tens of thousands of people, with many more currently starving to death as a result of the bombardment and limited access to aid. I have raised this many times before, and the minister mentioned that there are currently around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and of that number, 40 per cent are considered to be at high risk. That is extremely concerning, and humanitarian aid must be allowed in to provide those women with the support that they so desperately need. Just yesterday, MSPs and staff had the opportunity to hear from medical aid for Palestinians and Oxfam about their experiences from the ground. Of all the points raised, the most harrowing was that women in Gaza are giving birth in unsterile conditions, which is extremely dangerous for both the mother and the baby. We seem to not have any substantive issues being taken on and work done in this area. We must work harder to get women the aid that they need for childbirth. As we mark international women's day, we cannot forget those women, and we must redouble our efforts to ensure that they receive the support that they need before it is too late. At this stage, I fear that it might already be too late for so many women and their children. Closer to home, I absolutely agree with the points set out within the motion about the importance of achieving gender equality, being greater now than perhaps ever before. The challenges that we face remain significant. Violence against women and girls remains at a disturbingly high level, and we have seen in recent times how misogyny is ingrained in some of our largest public bodies. Our fight is by no means over, and we must continue to fight with determination to achieve that equality that we so deeply want. Women who live in areas of higher levels of deprivation in Scotland experience inequality perhaps more so than others. That is particularly the case in health. In women's health, we have inequalities in HPV vaccination uptake, in the uptake of screening programmes, and in the most affluent areas of Scotland, people live longer in good health compared to those living in deprived areas. For women, that is quite stark at 25.7 years. That is undoubtedly unacceptable, and we must all strive to change that. There is undoubtedly a need for a global approach to protecting human rights, supporting marginalised groups and amplifying the voices of women. However, it would be wrong if we had this debate today without recognising the challenges that we face here in our own doorstep, and we must always think of that as well. For far too long, women's health services have not delivered for those in our most vulnerable communities. It creates inequality between women, and that in itself is a challenge that we must work tirelessly to overcome. Without a community-based provision of women's health that goes to the individual, rather than depends on the individual going to it, we will never achieve the equality that we speak about today. International Women's Day is an excellent opportunity to unite around a common purpose to reiterate those calls that we have been making for so many years, to encourage men to speak up, be accountable and be part of that fight. However, it also requires us in this place as a Parliament to recognise how our decisions can impact equality and be realistic about the actual experiences of people here in our own country. I am looking forward to listening to the contributions to today's debate. There are so many different angles from which we could have all approached our contributions to this debate, but it is right that we take the opportunity to discuss the global context, given the extremely concerning events that are unfolding in Ukraine and in the Middle East. It is also important that we look closer to home to our more domestic position, and it is right that we look to progress as much as we can in this country, in politics, in education, in the workplace and in other places. The fight ahead for women in Scotland and across the world is not an easy one. It requires the efforts of us all to achieve the equality that is so long overdue, and I commit my party to do what it can in playing its role across this Parliament to take that fight on. This International Women's Day, my thoughts are with the women around the world affected by conflict and violence. It is two years since Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, two years in which Ukrainian women's lives have been turned upside down. Many have been forced from their homes, 72 per cent of unemployed Ukrainians are women and 8 million women and girls will need humanitarian assistance this year. In Gaza, women are struggling to survive displacement, bereavement and lack of access to basic necessities. Women are giving birth without access to water, painkillers or anesthesia for sea sections and going without food to give what they can to their children. The stories that we are hearing are heartbreaking and remind us that violent conflict intensifies pre-existing gender inequalities and discrimination. A UN report from 2022 showed that the number of women and girls living in conflict affected areas had increased by 50 per cent since 2017, yet, while women are disproportionately impacted by violent conflict, they are underrepresented in peace processes, as the minister highlighted already. Of 18 peace agreements reached in 2022, only one was signed or witnessed by a representative of a women's group or organisation. In recent years, between 20 to 30 per cent of peace agreements include provisions referencing women, girls and gender. That is despite women leading successful negotiations at local levels to secure access to water, humanitarian aid and to prevent and resolve tribal conflicts or mediate local ceasefires. The side-lining of women and peace negotiations does everyone a disservice. This international women's day theme is inspire inclusion. Women's participation in peace processes makes agreements more durable and sustainable. I recognise the Scottish Government's work in this area, having previously corresponded with the former minister for equalities on the topic. I was pleased that the Women in Conflict 1325 fellowship programme continued this year. The need for humanitarian and development aid is clear, yet a UK Government internal report last year warned that the cuts to its aid budget will result in hundreds of thousands of women facing unsafe abortions, thousands of deaths in childbirth and thousands more women left without access to healthcare and services. A stark reminder of the consequences of those cuts. The UK Government must reinstate the 0.7 per cent commitment. The report also shows that budget decisions are not gender-neutral. Gender-responsive budgeting is needed across all Government spending. That ensures that fiscal policies and budgets target gender inequalities and support inclusive development for all. There is a need to consider how women's organisations in Scotland are funded. A funding model through the Scottish Government, so organisations spent more of their time helping women than searching for funding, merits further exploration. Presiding Officer, another aspect of inclusion that is crucial for gender equality is education. Gender equality and education benefits every child. Girls and boys are empowered with life skills, skills gaps that perpetuate pay gaps and reductions are seen in gender-based violence, including child marriage. However, around the world, 129 million girls are out of school. Barriers to girls' inclusion in education are many, including poverty, lack of safety, sanitation and hygiene for girls in schools, child marriage and boys being favoured for investment in education. Supporting girls to not just attend but to thrive at school is key. In Afghanistan, where women are being denied rights to education, the Scottish Charity, the Linder and Nordgrove Foundation has been working hard to sponsor 20 medical students to come to Scotland to complete their studies. I supported their campaign last year and looked forward to hearing of the women's progress. Women wake up 51 per cent of Scotland's population yet figures from engender show a clear imbalance when we look at women's inclusion in leadership and decision making. Women are 45 per cent of MSPs but only 35 per cent of local councillors. Women make up just over a fifth of sheriffs and senior police officers and just 35 per cent of public body chief executives. That raises important questions to consider. How are women involved in designing policies and programmes? Do we ask ourselves how policies can tackle discrimination? Do we identify and prevent unintended consequences of reinforcing inequalities? In Shetland, all three council leadership positions are currently held by women, the leader, the convener and the chief executive. Along with myself as the MSP, it is the first time four women have held those posts together at the same time. However, there is much more to be done at home and globally. Mr Wishart, we will now move to the open debate. I call Karen Adam to be followed by Sharon Dowie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome and celebrate seeing Minister Cokab Stewart in her new role. Reflecting on International Women's Day, the theme this year being inspiring inclusion, I think about how, ensuring full female participation could be boundless. With women playing equal roles in leadership, innovation and decision making processes, societies across the world stand to benefit from diverse perspectives that lead to more comprehensive and effective solutions to global challenges. The inclusion of women in the workforce and leadership roles have been shown to enhance organisational performance, drive economic growth and foster a more equitable distribution of resources. On a global scale, embracing gender equality and women's empowerment can lead to more stable and just societies where human rights are upheld and everyone has the opportunity to thrive, unlike the horrors of war that are described to us today. Inspiring inclusion through International Women's Day sends a powerful message to future generations about the value of diversity and equality. It lays the groundwork for a world where every young girl can dream without limitations, pursue her aspirations and contribute to her community without facing gender-based barriers. The celebration of this day reaffirms our commitment to building inclusive societies where the voices of women and girls are heard, respected and integrated into the fabric of our collective future. The fact for female emancipation still goes on. The definition of female emancipation is process, strategy and myriad efforts by which women have been striving to liberate themselves from the authority and control of men and traditional power structures, as well as to secure equal rights for women, remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions and behavioural patterns, and set legal standards that shall promote their full equality with men. Crucially, intersectionality is a vital aspect of our fight in this area. Often, when I look across this chamber, I do not see it reflect the Scotland that I see outside. Proportionally, we do not fully represent women relative to the population demographic, and that should be the goal, including in this intersectionality with women who have been minoritised as a result of their ethnicity, disability or LGBT identity. I do recognise, of course, the work of this Parliament with the Gender-Sensitive Audit Board, which I was honoured to have played a part in, and I also acknowledge political parties such as mine, which ensure mechanism to get that representation. Unfortunately, this is still controversial to some, and one comment at a time from the, what about international men's day, to the, but we had a female First Minister. We still battle ignorance on that road to full female participation, but it is not just participation and it is not just getting women here and in other traditionally male dominated spaces. It is what we do in making these places fit for female purpose. When these institutions have been led by men for so long, we find that there is an exhaustive amount of work to do when we get there. To ensure that we truly do inspire inclusion on a global stage, we must first ensure that we stand in inspiring spaces and that we get our own house in order first. Presiding Officer, I had an interview with a university student this week, and we spoke about the role that media has to play in women's participation in politics. It was grim to go over old grounds that I have faced, but also I can look around this chamber and see many women across all parties have been subjected to the most horrific online abuse. Oftentimes, our appearance and our delivery are criticised over the content of what we are saying. The misogyny faced by many of us in broad daylight does not inspire anyone to join us. I think about all the women that I have spoken to regarding getting involved in decision making roles from council to Parliament, but the reasons not to are pretty compelling. I know this because I remember having these reservations myself. Many say that I do not have the time with all my care and responsibilities. I do not think that I would be good enough, and quite often I see what you go through in the media. There is no way that I would put myself up for that. When thinking about what inspiring inclusion means to me and how I or we can do that, I first think of how far we have come as women, the fight to have representation, the suffrage, the movement from being told to what our roles are, to being able to define what roles we want, to be able to choose. I reflect on how I was inspired to be who I chose to be, but this is not without fear nor favour. I want to inspire my speech today, and it is quite hard to do that with the reality that is around us, but can I say that fighting for our place was never going to be easy, and while we women in this chamber today stand on our own ground, I want to remind other women across the chamber of all parties, and I might also remind myself that there are so many women out there rooting for us, and seeing examples that perhaps they might follow. I am pleased to speak in this debate ahead of International Women's Day. It is important that we recognise the progress that has happened on gender equality in recent years. Women are more likely to be in positions of responsibility now than even just a few years ago, but there is still an incredibly long way to go. Progress in Scotland and across the UK has been slow. Women remain underrepresented in almost every area of public life. The gender pay gap has barely moved. The poverty alliance sees women are more likely to be living in poverty. Women's safety is threatened far too often. Our rights can often be put at risk, even, I am sad to say, in this very Parliament on occasion. That is just the picture here at home. The Government's motion today focuses on global issues that women face. Internationally, in many places, there are very few signs of positive steps forward. In many parts of the world, women are still treated as second-class citizens. We will all have watched in horror as women's rights in Afghanistan have been ripped up since the return of the Taliban to power. The tragic loss of basic standards of respect for women in that country is heartbreaking. The stories of violence are a dreadful reminder of how lowly women are still viewed in some countries. Almost as hard to listen to are the stories of the many young women now denied a chance to be educated and better themselves. That is a terrible shame that will hold back generations of girls who have done nothing wrong. Their only offence, if you can call it that, is to be born in the wrong place at the wrong time. That situation is, sadly, not an isolated example. In Iran, after it initially seemed that minor improvements may happen as a result of the widespread protest over Masha Amina's death, things appear as bad as ever. Police target women solely because of what they wear. Women's freedom continues to be brutally restricted. We have also seen in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza that, too often, it is women who bear the brunt of horrific violence against innocent people, and others have highlighted similar situations in other countries. There are many more examples that we could all cite that should appall and dismay us, but today, as the Shadow Minister for Justice, I want to focus my comments when violence against women here in Scotland. Women face the threat of violence all the time in this country, too. I am sure that every woman in this chamber has felt the need to alter their behaviour at one time or another to keep themselves safe. I am sure that we have all been threatened and abused online and even in person. The statistics are shocking. The police record more than 170 incidents of domestic abuse every single day in Scotland. Almost 65,000 instances of domestic abuse were recorded in the last year of data, so I want to appeal to the Government to act decisively and make the necessary changes here at home in Scotland to prevent violence against women. Yes, it is a global problem, but by acting locally, we can make a difference. As colleagues have noted, the theme of International Women's Day this year is inspired inclusion. In that spirit, I think that the most inspiring thing that the Government here could do to encourage women's inclusion is to prevent the violence that too often derails and destroys lives. Today's debate is welcome and worthwhile, but actions speak louder than words, and it is action that women in this country need from the Government. Scotland's justice system is too often stacked against victims. The Government could put more victims on the Sentencing Council and give them a voice over any new proposals. Domestic abuse incidents in Scotland are near record levels. The Government could agree to my colleague Pam Gosall MSP's Domestic Abuse Prevention Bill, which would give survivors more support and police more powers to prevent assaults. Women are underrepresented in our justice system. Only one in five sheriffs are women, one in four judges are women, and only one in three police officers are women. The Government could act to make those provisions more attractive to women and encourage more girls to consider those occupations as future careers. Those are just a few examples of the actions the Government can take immediately to make Scotland a better place for women. To conclude, Presiding Officer, I fully support the Government's motion today and the comments from the Minister. I have already welcomed the Minister into her role, but it is nice to see you here. It is right that we constantly promote gender equality internationally, champion women's rights and look at how to make lives better for women globally. However, we should also urgently examine what we can do here in this country on International Women's Day to make Scotland a safer place. We should overhaul the justice system and ensure that victims' voices are heard. We should seek to prevent violence against women. We should inspire inclusion by making sure that every woman feels safe and secure. On International Women's Day, it is right to speak about rights for women globally, but we must be prepared to act to improve those same rights for women locally. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate on International Women's Day, and the theme this year is Inspire Inclusion, which recognises that when people understand and value women's inclusion, they forge a better world. In standing in this Parliament, I feel proud to recognise that our Scottish Cabinet is a testament to this with more women than men in the top roles. It shows that our young women have an achievable goal to reach the top positions in politics, and that is something to never give up on, something to protect and something that should be the norm. Studies show that we truly are better off of it too. Whether less of us, less of them, states where women hold more political power are less likely to go to war and are less likely to be weak on human rights. That is significant and highlights the practical importance of having women including in positions of power. Of course, on representation, much more needs to be done. Women account for only 27 per cent of council leaders, 26 per cent of university principals and just 7 per cent of CEOs of Scotland's top businesses, according to Engender, Sex and Power, 2023 report. Although they do note some improvements in areas such as political institutions and health sector, their figures show that women are still missing from key roles. From the burden of childcare, household labour and care of relatives still firmly on women's shoulders as a woman, it can feel more difficult to work your way to progression. That is not how it should be, but studies across the board have found that, globally, women undertake three times more care and domestic work than men, which is why it is so important that we celebrate how far the Scottish Government has gone to alleviate some of that burden, to ensure that women here are not forced out of their jobs of public life. The poverty alliance correctly asserts that women's poverty is completely interlinked with child poverty, so that is why the Scottish child payment is so important and welcome here in Scotland. Expanded three childcare making available 1,140 hours a year to all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds. The care allowance-aligned supplement correcting the wrong, crated and maintained by the success of Westminster governments. In other measures, like the collaborative work on period products act, enshrining law access to free period products, which ensure that women are treated as equals. Although more can be done, those measures are significant and make an impact on women's lives. It is important that we reflect on International Women's Day that we also look wider than our own country and take a global perspective highlights the discrepancies in women's equality and inclusion in public life across different countries. There is no escaping the fact that conflict always has a gender nature to it and today, in the second year of the invasion of Ukraine, this is very clear. While women are giving birth in basements or in high stress conditions, men were forced to remain behind while women and children migrated out of Ukraine to neighbouring countries. In Gaza, women and children are expected to hit the hardest as women tend to vastly deprioritise their food intake when access to food is restricted. Pregnant women are even higher health and malnutrition risks, not only to themselves but to their babies. In overcrowding and the lack of privacy in temporary shelters, coupled with scarce resources, can lead to disputes and violence, including gender-based violence, and the lack of access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for menstruation. Hygiene management affects women's and girls' dignity as well as their mental and physical health. That is why the Scottish Government investment in women is advocates for human rights and initiatives such as the Warm Scots Future, Women in Conflict 1325 Fellowship and the Human Rights Defender Fellowship, and its commitment to the feminist approach to international relationships are so important in the long term, as already mentioned by the minister. International Women's Day is also a time to recognise and thank the work of local groups in our community for everything that they do to support women. My sincere and eternally thanks go to Clydebank Women's Aid, Clydebank and Eastern Bartonshire Women's Aid, who provide support, information and refuge to women, and they are quite literally a lifeline to many out there. Today also serves as a call to action for our leaders to redouble our efforts to create a world where women are included. We must work to dismantle systems that hold women back. Importantly, we must take an intersectional approach when we consider women's inclusion to ensure women of colour, disabled women, refugee women, women of minority faith communities, LGBTI women, older and younger women, women from deprived areas and other minority groups that are deeply involved in their community and feel included. I certainly welcome all contributions in today's debate and collectively let's forge a more inclusive world for women out there. Thank you. Thank you, Ms McNeill. I now call Paula Cain to be followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston up to six minutes. Mr O'Cain. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and can I begin by apologising to the chamber that I will have to leave before the end of the debate, and thank you for your understanding in that regard. I'm pleased to be able to lend my voice to this debate in support of the continuing work that we must do to realise equality for women and girls, not just at home but across the world. At the outset, I want to acknowledge the already many powerful contributions of my colleagues on those benches and the leadership that is shown by women in my own party and across this Parliament in breaking down barriers, smashing glass ceilings and staircases and supporting other women to become engaged and involved in politics and public life. In that note, I welcome the minister to her place as she opens the first debate in her new role. We know that we have so much more to do, and it's clear to me that men have so much more to do. When I have previously contributed to other debates on those issues, such as last November, on the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, I have focused my remarks largely on the role that men must play in bringing about change and equality. I intend to do that again with the time that I have today. We know that the theme of this year's International Women's Day to Inspire Inclusion is critical in changing attitudes towards women and indeed changing men's attitudes towards women in all aspects of life. As the UNIWD notes, all of us, but particularly men, need to be asking the question that when women are not present, why are they not present. What could we have changed to make spaces more accessible towards women? What could we change in our own behaviour and call out in the behaviour of others to make sure that all spaces are inclusive? And what do we need to change in our systems to make sure that we actively encourage more women into those spaces to promote equality? I am proud of the work that we have done in my own political party and movement in playing a large part to advanced gender equality over many years. Indeed, previous Labour Governments passed the Equality Act. Scottish Labour MSPs have been ferocious campaigners on ending period poverty, increasing women's representation in politics and tackling on-going problems of gender-based violence. However, we know that there is much more to do and much more to do across this Parliament and other legislatures in order to continue that work towards equality and inclusion. As we have already heard today, we need to face up to many of the challenges that we continue to see in Scotland in our systems, particularly in our workplaces. In workforces where a majority of workers are women, we must properly value and develop roles and pay so that we can continue to support women out of poverty and into long-term sustainable work that pays not just to get by but to get on. We need to continue to look at the issues of institutionalised sexism in the social security system and the unfairness that is embedded within some of our payments. In our justice system, we know that too many women are failed, ignored, sidelined and treated with appalling misogyny. Today, of all days in this chamber, I think that that should be at the forefront of all of our minds. In healthcare, we need to move forward with purpose on the creation of buffer zones, for example, so that women can access their right to healthcare free of harassment. We, as legislators, have a very important role to play in all that work. On the wider social and cultural level, men have an important role to play in the work of ensuring that the burden to open up spaces to make them more inclusive and to make society more respectful does not fall on women, but the burden has to fall on men to listen, to change their behaviour and to proactively take steps forward rather than just expecting someone else to take up the responsibility. That is why I am pleased to support campaign groups, such as White Ribbon Scotland, who do vital work in challenging pervasive and persistent misogyny that is so often the root cause of enduring inequality and exclusion. I am also pleased to work with organisations such as Closed the Gap Scotland, highlighting and working to close the economic gap that remains a barrier to women's inclusion in the labour market and in other places. Crucial to all that work is educating men in particular about all that on-going work. On-going domestic issues and work to change things remain a priority, but, as we have heard already in the debate today, this is about more than just a problem here at home. Right across the globe, women and girls find themselves facing violence, oppression and misogyny on a daily basis. In the face of war and state violence, women stand up for their rights and, in many cases, their lives with incredible bravery. In Iran, women and girls risk everything to protest against the death of Masa Amini and the actions of the hardline regimes' morality police. In Afghanistan, women are fighting to retain their freedom and their lives following the turn of the Taliban to power. In conflict zones from Ukraine to Africa, women's rights organisations are leading the efforts to ensure the upholding of international law and stopping sexual violence being used as a tool of war. Of course, our thoughts turn to those women who were taken hostage in Israel by Hamas on 7 October, who are still not returned to their families and all that they have experienced, and the women's suffering and unimaginable horrors, as have been laid out by many colleagues already in Palestine, in the most desperate of situations. Tomorrow, on International Women's Day, we should all redouble our calls for an immediate ceasefire in that war and then to rock it fire in and out of Gaza, the return of hostages and an end to violence and bloodshed as we aspire to a two-state solution where no woman has to live in fear. It is incumbent on us all to play whatever small part we can to support and stand with women, to make sure that they are empowered as agents of change, to make sure that they are empowered to call out and hold accountable the perpetrators of violence against them, to ensure that men change and regulate their behaviour and the behaviour of others, and to ensure that we all work together to make the change that we want to see in the world. Just to make the chamber aware, there is no time in hand, so members will need to stick to their time allocation. I call Jimmy Halker-Johnson to be followed by Maggie Chapman up to six minutes. I am pleased to be able to speak in today's International Women's Day debate. For more than a century, this event has recognised the remarkable achievements of women and girls around the world. This year's theme, Inspire Inclusion, resonates deeply with our commitment to fostering a more equitable world by championing the inclusion of women in all aspects of society. However, it is right that, as we come together to celebrate the undoubted progress that has been made, we also confront the persistent challenges women and girls face, both here in Scotland and globally. Around the world we witness grave injustices, the regressive measures enforced by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the denial of education, the subjugation of women in Iran, highlighted by the restricted dress codes and treatments their killing of women who so bravely stand against them, and most recently and most shockingly, the appalling weaponisation of sexual violence against women and girls by groups such as Hamas and in Ukraine by Russian forces. However, of course, as horrific as these are, they are just the tip of the iceberg that is the daily mistreatment of women and girls. They may be the most high-profile examples, those which gain the most headlines, but every day across the world women and girls are denied education, forced into underage marriages and female genital mutilation, or exploited by people traffickers into modern slavery. They are denied opportunities solely because of their sex. Those realities underline the on-going struggle for gender equality and security on a global scale. They remind us, if we need reminding, that we should never, can never afford to be complacent. While the UK and Scotland has seen progress, we cannot ignore the many challenges women and girls here continue to face. There has been an alarming rise in violence against women in Scotland and it is our duty to address this issue with urgency and determination. Because we know, as others have highlighted today, here in Scotland domestic abuse incidents are close to nearly their highest level on record. There were nearly 65,000 recorded incidents of domestic abuse in 2021-22, only the previous year was worse. There were seven domestic abuse related killings reported and nearly 500 charges of attempted murder and serious assault relating to domestic abuse. As others have done, I welcome my colleague Pam Goswell's efforts in bringing forward a domestic abuse register bill, which would require those placed on it to report changes in their circumstances to police. It would ensure that rehabilitation is mandatory for those convicted under the domestic abuse Scotland Act 2018. As someone from an island community and who represents the vast Highlands and Islands region and its many dispersed communities, I would also like to briefly speak about rurality and how that can impact. Many women and girls in my region live further from the vital support those living in urban areas take for granted. Even when services are accessible, they can be limited. When a victim of domestic violence in a remote community is brave enough to call for help, that help can take longer in arriving. When someone suffers a sexual assault, that medical and emotional support can take longer to be given. That can too often prolong or even increase the suffering of victims, victims who are then expected in some cases to continue to live in small communities with their abusers living thereby. I know that can make many feel isolated alone and more must be done to ensure that is not the case. I would take this opportunity to commend all those organisations, particularly in my region, who work so hard in doing their best to ensure that women and girls in these situations are provided the help and support that they need as speedily and comprehensively as possible. Presiding Officer, a female colleague of mine said to me yesterday, only yesterday, that women's rights are like a pendulum, warning that this can easily swing back as it has swung forward over the last few years, that hard-on gains can be lost, that progress made is not irreversible. I have real fear for the next generation and the challenges they face. Only yesterday we debated violence in schools and I know many incidents where it is young girls who are targeted, they are suffering often being filmed and then shared on social media. Incidents of explicit image sharing and revenge porn are increasing, cases of drink spiking have grown, sexual crimes in Scotland rose to nearly 14,923. The growth of AI only creates more challenges, challenges that I do not think society and any Government are even close to addressing or even understanding. Added to this, we have the rise of in-cell culture and those who promote it and the latent toxic masculinity that society has too long ignored. Before I could include, I turn briefly to our profession and what I recognise the comments Karen Adam said, there has been some positive change. Three women have now led the UK Government, the Parliament, this Parliament has had a female First Minister and at the same time all three major parties in this chamber were led by women. In local government, in my Highlands and Islands region, the leaders of three of the six councils are women, Kathleen Robertson and Murray Emma MacDonald in Shetland and most recently Heather Woodbridge in Orkney, my home council. It is progress and I commend the efforts of all those political parties and communities working to ensure better representation for women and for other groups, but all of us know we can and must do more. Presiding Officer, I would never be able to put myself in the position of women to be overlooked or feel undervalued because I'm a woman, to feel unsafe in places where I should be able to feel safe because I'm a woman, to face barriers because I'm a woman, but I am a son, brother and friend and I will always fight for my family, my friends, my female colleagues to have the opportunities they should have by right. Ahead of International Women's Day tomorrow, I refer my commitment to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about discrimination and take action to drive gender parity. I do need to reinforce the fact that members will need to stick to their speaking allocation and I call Maggie Chapman to be followed by Rhoda Grant up to six minutes, thank you Presiding Officer. International Women's Day is a day for solidarity to stand with women all over the world. It is a chance to reflect on the achievements and victories of past campaigns and to acknowledge how far we still have to go because we know that women bear the brunt of social injustice, of economic and environmental inequalities here in Scotland and globally. Women live with the consequences of these inequalities every day. Women die because of the consequences of these inequalities every day. So it is right and appropriate that today's motion recognises the impact of conflict on women and girls. We are all acutely aware that it does so in the context not only of the invasion of Ukraine but of the bitter genocide in Gaza, of the ongoing devastation of Yemen and the often forgotten refugee and humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. There is much in this motion that deserves discussion but I want to focus on two related issues, the Scottish Government's commitment to a feminist approach to international relations and the need to amplify the voices of women and marginalised groups. When we commit ourselves to a feminist approach, we also commit ourselves to asking exactly what that means in specific situations, especially situations of conflict. A feminist policy is, of course, an ethical policy but it goes beyond that. It means being in the best sense of the word critical, asking difficult questions, developing rather than inheriting positions and always being open to challenge. That challenge comes first and foremost from the experiences of those whose lives, hopes, homes and futures are directly affected by our actions and omissions. In relation to conflict, a genuinely feminist foreign policy has particularly difficult questions to ask. How far are political rather than solely military solutions being sought and progressive voices on all sides being supported? What role are women playing in peace negotiations? How effectively are combatants and civilians being distinguished, recalling not only the horrors of collective punishment but the dangers of forced universal conscription in creating and reinforcing gender binaries and prioritising technical competence of the minimisation of harm? Are we resisting the glorification of the military including mobilised children? Are we exploring the ethical dilemmas of arms provision, of sanctions, of increasing military expenditure? How far is our policy mindful of the particular needs, rights and vulnerabilities of women and children, especially those who face intersecting oppressions and challenges? While showing solidarity with all victims of war, are we acknowledging colonial and political histories in which our own traditions may be complicit? Why are those considerations so often after thoughts, luxuries, seemingly irrelevant to the important business of war? Spetlana Alexiewicz, the Nobel prize-winning oral historian and activist, has written in the unwominly face of war that, I quote, everything we know about war we know with a man's voice. When women speak they have nothing or almost nothing of what we are used to reading and hearing about, how certain people heroically killed other people and won or lost, what equipment there was, which generals, women's stories are different and about different things. Women's war has its own colours, its own smells, its own lighting, its own range of feelings, its own words. There are no heroes and incredible feats, there are simply people who are busy doing inhumanly human things. Women's stories of people doing human things. So we come to my second focus on amplifying voices, listening to those who can speak with truth but may not be heard. I am conscious that even here some voices are easier to hear than others and those who reach us at all are, to some extent, privileged. That is a reason not to close our ears but to listen more deeply, understanding more and understanding better. I would like to close by reading from the work of two contemporary women poets. The first is by Threa Al Montesa from Operation Restoring Hope in the Wild Fox of Yemen. Death doesn't choose who it favours, a missile does. It might go for the last field of melons or a front gate the uncles just painted, white as bone fish, its tips reaching the lowest heaven. It can choose the funeral, kill 140, wound 500 more. There is no time for mourning. The people of Yemen are tossed back into the cage without ceremony. It might choose the mountain girl, a break in her brother's shepherd stick, where the corpse fell. Now she is the sister of ruin, knows what an eyeball does when dazed, full of exile. And this from the state by Elena Kalaftoufatha, part of the collection of Palestinian poetry at the Los Angeles Review of Books. Noun, gerund, the verb or of the verb to journey, a setting out, a departure, a boy's voice calls out from beneath what used to be the second story of a house. I am here he cries, can anyone hear me? I am here and the night sky is sleeping on my chest. Noun, gerund of the verb to leave, an exodus, a detachment, a father has gone in search of bread, a baker has gone in search of flour, a mother has gone in search of a cloud, a people have gone, a world in each of them. Noun, gerund of the verb to travel, a parting, a demise, a girl steps on top of the walls of what used to be the third story of her house. I am searching for the sea, she cries. Has anyone seen it? It used to live in my window. Thank you. I now call Rhoda Grant to be followed by Ruth Maguire up to six minutes, Ms Grant. Can we have Ms Grant's microphone please? I'm afraid we're not hearing you, Ms Grant. I'm going to go to Ruth Maguire and come back to you and ask for your audio to be sorted out, Ms Grant. Ruth Maguire up to six minutes please. Can we have Ms Maguire's microphone? Okay, there we go. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government motion acknowledges that women's equality has not been achieved yet and that it remains one of the greatest human rights challenges we face. While we fittingly take a global perspective today, we should be under no illusion that the root causes of the immense challenges faced by women and girls across the world are the same as those facing women and girls here. The root causes of inequality and violence are the same. There is much work to be done in Scotland. I think that the previous session that we had and the systematic misogyny that was highlighted in that lays that out quite starkly. On that note, I want to talk briefly for something that I've raised a number of occasions, quite often in a half-empty chamber, but we'll keep doing so nonetheless. That's the, frankly, quite irrational position that we have in our law at the moment in relation to prostitution. Pimping websites operate free from criminal sanctions. Men who exploit women by paying for sex enjoy impunity, while women abused through prostitution face penalties for soliciting. The Scottish Government's decades-old position is that prostitution is violence, yet our legal system criminalises the victims of that violence. Not the websites profiting, not the men perpetrating the violence, but the female victims. It's illogical and it's unjust and we need to move on from that. No matter where we are in the world, peace and stability are precarious, and safety and security is about more than the absence of violence in war. Women's experiences of peace and security in peacetime and wartime are deeply interconnected in a world marked by male violence and rising militarism. Globally, conflict and violence are on the rise. The accompanying human suffering is horrific, as we are currently witnessing in Ukraine, Yemen and Gaza. We know that women and children often bear the brunt of that suffering. I am going to speak about Gaza. In highlighting that, I want to acknowledge that colleagues have spoken about violence elsewhere and I have no hesitation in condemning violence wherever it happens and whoever is perpetrating it. Speaking about the situation in Gaza for women and children, Save the Children's CEO Inger Ashing said that she was running out of words to describe the unfolding horror. I was struck by an article by Nezrin Malik. The title of the article was, in Gaza there's a war on women, will the rest really ignore it because they're not like us. She describes how the healthcare system there has been all but obliterated. The charity care state that there's no doctor, midwife or nurse to support women during labour. There's no pain medication, anesthesia or hygiene material when women give birth. Babies are born outside, umbilical cords cut with whatever sharp objects there is to hand and tins filled with hot water to keep the newborn warm. Sea sections, painful in the aftermath even when there are, drugs are being performed without anesthesia at all by surgeons who do not have water to wash their hands, let alone sterilise them and no antibiotics for any resulting infections. In some cases, according to the Washington Post, sea sections were performed on women post mortem. If women and children do manage to prevail in these impossible circumstances, they're faced with displacement and hunger when nursing painful tears, wounds and malnourished babies. Pregnant women will have had to have made a 20-mile journey from the north to the south in Gaza and they arrive in circumstances that UNICEF describes as breach famine thresholds and which are particularly concerning when it comes to the fate of tens of thousands of pregnant and breastfeeding women. The majority of whom can consume only one or two types of food. Mothers cannot access sufficient food or clean water to produce milk for their babies. It's hard to find words to describe that horror. I am at the point where I'm not sure how many more pictures of dead babies and women and children I can look at. I wondered if it might be helpful to share some things that people can do, some action that they can take if they're feeling helpless. Women's international league for peace and freedoms provides some suggestions for immediate action. It writes to the UK Government and demands that it upholds its obligation under common article 1 to ensure that all parties to conflict follow international law. That should include calling for a ceasefire. You can lobby your Government for concrete actions to be taken against Israel if it does not comply with the Security Council resolution, such as sanctions. You can demand that your country cuts off diplomatic relations with Israel if it does not immediately end its bombardment and siege of Gaza and start abiding by international law. On an individual front, you can also participate in sanctions campaign yourself. I would urge people to find out about boycott, divestment and sanctions, a legitimate and peaceful method to tackle apartheid wogestates that has worked in the past and can work again. We now move to the final speaker in the open debate, Rhoda Grant. Up to six minutes, Ms Grant. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can you hear me this time? You're coming through loud and clear, Ms Grant. Thank you. During this International Women's Day debate, I want to speak again about commercial sexual exploitation, an issue that we've made very little progress on tackling since the last year. The CPG on commercial sexual exploitation published a report on international insights on how Scotland can learn from international efforts to combat commercial sexual exploitation. Indeed, Druth McGuire brought a member's debate to the Parliament on its findings, and the findings were clear. Demand to purchase sex fuels commercial sexual exploitation. Countries that have challenged demand have cut commercial sexual exploitation, but they've also cut human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Sweden was one of the first to criminalise demand. As a result, they ended up with a fairer society, a more equal society, equality and pay, and indeed equality and caring responsibilities. The Scottish Government have recently published Scotland's strategic approach to challenging and deterring men's demand for prostitution and supporting the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution. Disappointingly, this document brings forward no new policy on tackling men's demand for prostitution. It recognises that those involved in selling or exchanging sex are victims of exploitation. This is not new, but the report does absolutely nothing to rebalance criminality. Women's selling sex will still be breaking the law while men buying it will get away scoped free. The document summarises action to date. Like many Scottish Government strategies published at present, it rehashes history and shows no vision and no ambition to tackle the problem. The CPG report quotes Cynthia Maricari, who summed it up perfectly, with the outdemand of those that are buying the sex trade would not exist and thrive. In order to end sexual exploitation, it really becomes imperative to address the demand, and addressing demand in law means criminalising those who buy sex. Sadly, we heard in the Parliament today and recently saw Ian Packer's conviction for the murder of Emma Cotwell and the abuse of at least another 22 women. If these women had not risked being criminalised and Ian Packer had, would the police attitude not have been different? Sadly, in Scotland, men are allowed to continue to abuse women because of our law, a law that blames and criminalises women for men's abuse. When Ireland criminalised the purchase of sex, analysis by the University College Dublin sexual exploitation research programme found that the 2017 act had already increased the likelihood that women in prostitution will report violence committed against them without the fear of being criminalised themselves, our approach must deal with demand while supporting the women who are exploited. If we cut demand, fewer and fewer women will be exploited only by trying to help women in prostitution. By only helping the women in prostitution and not dealing with demand, we create a system of unmet demand that goes to even greater lengths to meet that demand, and human trafficking for sexual exploitation grows to meet that demand. Added to that, the UK Government has passed laws on immigration that will impact on those trafficked, and it will make it more difficult for trafficked people to seek help. It appears to me that every step we take to provide more cover to exploiters leads more women vulnerable, and we need to learn from international experience. The commercial sexual exploitation cross-party group also carried out an inquiry into pimping websites. Those websites provide even greater cover to those who would exploit and even less protection to the exploited. The USA banned these pimping websites, and within 48 hours all the major websites had stopped hosting prostitution adverts. Residing officer for decades, the Scottish Government have recognised prostitution as violence against women. It creates inequality. How can women be equal if there are commodities to be bought and sold? It is not easy to ban this because every country that has challenged demand for sex buying has faced pushback. Internationally, every change in the law to tackle demand is backed by strong political leadership. Therefore, the Scottish Government must go back to the drawing board and come forward with policies that do tackle demand. They must become leaders who are willing to take on entitlement, social norms, vested interests and take a stand for the exploited. Presiding officer, that is the kind of leadership that we need in Scotland. Thank you very much indeed Ms Gant. We now move to closing speeches. I call Pauline McNeill up to six minutes. The Scottish Parliament has a strong record in our commitment to improving the lives of women and exposing what sexism and discrimination looks like in our daily lives. We are crucially highlighting that the liberation of women from violence and discrimination is a global fight. I have enjoyed all the speeches this afternoon, and I am pleased that some men are still joining us to speak, because it is so important to all women that we have men speaking in debates like this. I also want to congratulate Colcab Stewart, the first woman of colour, to her posts. She can see that she is already getting under way with some very serious work. I feel the support that the minister outlined today in the programmes in working with African nations such as Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia. New research suggests that boys and men from younger generations are more likely than older baby boomers to believe that feminism has done more harm than good, and that women's equality has gone far enough—I actually could not believe it when I saw it, but I have seen the figures for this, if you haven't. The idea that women's equality has gone far enough while this debate is to testimony to the fact that we still have so much further to go. I was said previously by another member that it is clear that women are still overlooked in everyday life and that we are still not represented in our full strength of being half the population in virtually every part of society, public and private. Recognising complex nature or nature of intersectional feminism and the diversity of women and having different experiences is also very important and worthy of some further work. Warringly, a fifth of men between the ages of 16 and 29 also looked favourably on social media influencers and self-proclaimed misogynists who have said things like women should be a responsibility for being sexually assaulted. In fact, today I raised the issue of image-based abuse with Jamie Halcro Johnston, also referred to in his speech, a very important issue with the First Minister. I welcome the work that Siobhan Brown and Jenny Gilruth are doing in this regard, because girls are subjected to huge pressure from boys and boys seem locked into stereotypes that somehow they believe that they will gain respect from their peers if they participate in action like this. Releasing intimate images without concern is a form of violence against women and can be very damaging to girls in their long-term lives. The prevalence of easily accessible pornography is part of the picture. I raised this issue, as many other members did in one of the last debates, and mentioned the fans-only site in the last debate, raising my concerns about the safety and exploitation of women online, because they need protection, because men do not always stick to the rules. I did meet them because they pursued me to meet them, and I pressed them on some of the points about women's safety online. Today, many of us have had the opportunity to meet the Caldwell family at a 20-year campaign for justice for Emma Caldwell. It is not only the horror of her murder, but the man at the centre of this has violated and committed crimes against other women. What spoke to me when I was looking at this issue over the past few months is the treatment of women by justice agencies. Certainly 20 years ago, somehow because of the lives that they led and the danger that they were exposed to, they would not be taken seriously if they reported that they were raped. Perhaps some things have changed, but a lot more needs to change. I appreciate Pauline McLeod giving way. Does she share the opinion that I have that the fact that these women could be charged is just totally unjust, that it remains the law as it stands, is that some of these women are charged with solicitude? I think that it is completely wrong. I do agree with Ruth Maguire and also what Ruthergrant had to say about the commission exploitation of women. I have believed that for a very long time. Many members have talked about women bearing the brunt of war and in every conflict face sexual violence and daily suffering. I think that it is Maggie Chapman who made the point, but it is very remote from taking any or making any decisions about war. Sexual violence against Israeli women or Palestinian women is equally unacceptable, but, as other members have addressed, I cannot speak without addressing what has happened in the Gaza Strip in the past 150 days. It steps away from famine and complete catastrophe with no escape. I am grateful to Carol Malk and my colleague, who yesterday faced us all with the reality of 50,000 women in Gaza who are pregnant, who are malnourished, many unable to breastfeed, many will not reach full term. No baby formula and not enough aid reaching the Gaza Strip in order to give them a chance. Women in the West occupied West Bank of Palestine, women who are forced to give birth at checkpoints, miscarry at checkpoints, cannot get to their health appointments, mothers who see their sons imprisoned under occupation and shot in the street. The Palestinian conflict is long overdue to being resolved and, as Paul O'Kane rightly says, the only way to give all women and men peace in that region is for a two-state solution. Yemen is also a very, very prouest country in the Middle East. It is another country worth mentioning because, as the highest maternal death rates in the world, one Yemeni woman dies in childbirth every two years from preventable causes. Child marriage is a coping mechanism that many Yemeni parents have turned to as they deal with the precarious situation that they are living in. Families face not only mass displacements but also devastating economic crisis and the collapse of many vital social services. It is estimated that more than 7 million women throughout Yemen require urgent access to services that address gender-based violence, yet those services are extremely limited or completely absent. Conclusion, Presiding Officer. If I can return to the global picture, the World Bank report recently published addresses that the gender gap for women in the workplace is even wider than thought. It is clear that we have a lot to do, a lot in order to hand the future to generations of women so that they can hope for something much better. Thank you, Ms McNeill. I now call on Sue Weber up to seven minutes, Ms Weber. Yes, thank you, Presiding Officer. I am delighted to close this afternoon on the debate on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives. As we have heard, not only was the first female member of Parliament a Conservative, the first three and only female Prime Minister to lead the UK Government, were Conservative. We will always stand up for the rights of women and girls. Today is about talking about inspire and inclusion, so let us do some of that. The UK Government has passed the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 for England and Wales, and I am proud to be in the same political party as my colleague Pam Gossel, MSP, who is bringing forward a similar domestic abuse register bill for here in Scotland. However, I want to swing back and talk about that global perspective, and we have heard about that significantly today from colleagues across the chamber. Jamie Halcro Johnston spoke about how we must confront the persistent challenges that women face both here and Scotland globally, and the grave injustices around the world. Meghan Gallacher quite graphically described some of the images that we were exposed to following the atrocious terrorist attack in October 7. We have also heard about the repressive measures that were enforced by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including the denial of education. However, I was enlightened to hear from Beatrice Wishart about the Linda Norgrove Foundation, who is bringing Afghan women to study medicine here in my home city of Edinburgh, and I was delighted to hear of that. International Women's Day celebrates the achievements of women and has done so for over 100 years. As I have said, this theme is to inspire inclusion and create a better world for the most inclusion of women. We have heard at length today about the struggles that women face in accessing health services, particularly in those areas where there is global conflict, and particularly if they are pregnant and some of the horrific challenges that we have heard today in terms of giving birth without proper medical supervision and sterile environments to do so. The women are more women are impacted by global conflict than men, or when I say that, they've got a greater impact, I'm sure. We have had an increase of 50 per cent since 2017 of women living in areas of global conflict, so basically women bear the brunt of war, and that should be a wake-up to us all. I do want to pivot more to home-inspired things. Ruth Maguire said that the same root causes of the inequality across the world are the same that we are facing closer to home. I think that where I am, and I've certainly, maybe it's been my choice of television lately, we've been exposed to, of late, some really high profile TV documentaries about some of the women that have tragically lost their lives in the UK and closer to home. We've had Emma Caldwell with the statement that we've had previous prior to this debate this morning. Fawzia Javid that lost her life very, very close to here when she was pushed off the cliff in what can only be classed as horrific domestic violence and savoured everard, so we have to really think about things that are going on as close to home as globally when it comes to violence against women. No one's spoken about this yet, so I'm going to try my best, and I've got my own o'clock, I promise you, Presiding Officer, about women in science and STEM, because that's a way to drive inequality and to give women a place on the global scale in terms of innovation and make changes to our own lives, and that's something that's really important to me given my background in medical and healthcare and my degree in biochemistry from this university here in Edinburgh. But despite significant strides, women do remain underrepresented in these fields, facing barriers ranges from societal stereotypes to systemic biases. See when you haven't to speed up to get your seven minutes, you stumble over words. However, countless pioneering women have defied these obstacles and serve as role models for future generations from Marie Curie, whose groundbreaking research entered two Nobel prizes to Dr Francis Arnold and Nobel laureates in chemistry for her work on the directed evolution of enzymes. These trailblazers exemplify the immense contributions women make to scientific discovery and technological advancement, which can help every single person in this world and most importantly, women. By celebrating their achievements, fostering mentorship, opportunities and advocating for inclusive policies, we can inspire women to pursue careers in science and STEM, ensuring that their voices and talents continue to shape the future of innovation and exploration. From a personal perspective, I was delighted to see recently that Caritas Science Solutions, a business in my region, recently won the small business of the year awards at the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce business awards. There are people before profit clinical research organisation with a fantastic female chief executive officer, Lee Fell, who I am unashamedly very proud to call one of my very good friends. However, work must still be done to ensure equality and we've heard some of the troubling stats that Jamie Halcro Johnston and Sharon Dowey spoke of when they were highlighting the violence that we face across Scotland and mentioned a justice system that's stacked against victims. I want to also say something briefly. The minister mentioned Ukraine and some of the women, the families that we've taken here in Scotland and that we need a national system that works for everyone. However, I would like to really, really bring it to her attention and it's convenient now that we've got the housing minister in the chamber too, that this isn't quite working right now. We've 50 Ukrainian families and households that are now being assessed as homeless in our capital city. We have had slashing of budgets and the considerable financial risks that Edinburgh is facing as a council and local authority to help our Ukrainian families to bring their lives and live their lives well in Edinburgh, so I would perhaps like to hear some comments on that. So I think even though the status of women in Scotland and in the rest of the UK has generally improved, there is clearly more work that needs to be done to achieve absolute equality across the sexes. So we're calling on the UK and Scottish Governments to work together to support women's rights in Scotland, the rest of the UK and abroad. International Women's Day 2024 provides an opportunity to raise awareness, promote an inclusive and equitable society. It's a time to celebrate the achievements of women, while also recognising the work that needs to be done to achieve greater gender equality. Whether it's through advocacy, activism or simple acts of kindness and support, we can all contribute to a world where every person has equal opportunities to thrive, succeed regardless of their gender. Thank you Ms Webber and I now call on Emma Roddick to wind up the debate minister up to nine minutes please. Thank you Presiding Officer and I want to first welcome the general consensus today on the need to come together around what Carol Mocken described as a common purpose, achieving gender equality at home and globally. The two are not separate, not only because, as Sue Webber and others have pointed out, the root causes are the same, but because we know that gender equality by definition does not exist until it exists for everyone. Leaving any group behind whether that is women of colour, displaced women or women living in the global south is not an option. We understand that and we want to take action on gender equality across the board. Every portfolio in government is tasked with considering the realisation of human rights and tackling inequality when making decisions. Today we focus on the work that is being done on a global approach and taking a feminist approach to international relations and development. In doing this, we are proving ourselves as a Government and a country that acts on its principles and is an effective and progressive voice on the world stage. We recognise that gender inequality that exists at home and across the world and we want to play our part in protecting and empowering women and girls no matter where they live to tackle it. That is why, alongside extensive domestic work to break structural inequalities and support women in Scotland with the distinct challenges that we face, we are taking steps to support women and girls across the world, doing our bit to empower and work with them, those women who stand the greatest chance with a bit of support, solidarity and a platform of progressing equality where they are, be it Malawi, Rwanda or Zambia. That is what we are doing now as a nation with a devolved Government and that is the tone with which we would set out our principles and engage with nations across the world if we were a normal independent country. The theme of this year's International Women's Day is, of course, inspiring inclusion. That is important because lack of inclusion, especially in decision making and prioritisation, means that people get left behind or forgotten. We know that climate change impacts women and girls more than men and boys. We know that women and girls are often impacted by sexual violence during war or subject to escalating healthcare inequalities like those described by Ruth Maguire. We know that we can make change and influence progress by taking a feminist approach to international relations, from considering the impact on women and girls of trade decisions and arms exports to sharing experiences and best practice of achieving gender equality between ourselves and other nations. Megan Gallacher, Carol Mocken and others have all talked about the situation that many women and girls were put in, costing their safety, their family and their lives due to current conflicts. Scotland stands ready to support those fleeing war and persecution and we will do all that we can to play our part in preventing such horrific harm and deaths by progressing gender equality globally. That will not be successful without the voices and experiences of women. We will not achieve gender equality without inclusion, intersectional inclusion like that, which was described by Marie McNair. We want our international development work to be impactful on gender equality and we want to recognise the need to decolonise the process, remove that white gaze and ensure that everything is inclusive. We must recognise the need to amplify voices, not speak for others and actively question the expertise that we value, listening to those who have not been heard before and ensuring that their views influence change. That is what we are doing through the new women and girls fund, engaging meaningfully with those who can affect change and supporting their work financially and enabling them to identify and meet their own priorities, equalising power. Karen Adam was also right to talk about the need to continue progress here. She is right that this chamber is missing voices. There are intersectional inequalities at play preventing many women from being active in public life. She is spot on that once we get here we are often made to do extra work just to get on that equal footing, forcing ourselves into a system that is not designed for us using time and energy that male colleagues get to use doing their job, doing it to try to make adjustments for ourselves. It was reassuring to hear Paul Cain reflect on the need for himself and other men in here to do that work as well. What we are doing with the women and girls fund is trying to do that work with women who need the wider system to change to recognise their value rather than making them do it all themselves. Karen Adam is right that we have to get our house in order. That applies whether our house refers to this chamber or this country or this planet. I will continue as Minister for Equalities to work with Karen Adam and any other person in this chamber who wants to make things better and has ideas to move us forward. Ruth Maguire was right to outline suggestions of what individuals can do while recognising that it is on states to take ethical decisions on their international work. It is easy to feel helpless when you are standing against something so strong and large as global gender inequality and historic sexism and misogyny, but there are things that we can all do, even if it is as simple as keeping up the pressure on those with the access to the most power to make those changes. I want to talk a little bit more about intersectionality, the importance of considering how intersecting inequalities require us to change our approach and remember those who are furthest from power or unable to access support and services that already exist. Jamie Halcro Johnston touched on rurality, which is something that I wanted to pick up on myself because, while it is not a protected characteristic, I see geography as an equalities issue. I know that geographical barriers, like those of disability, age, ethnicity and faith, can compound gender inequality. Speaking with Orsas, the Orkney rape and sexual assault service about the situations that take place there and the myths around gender-based violence and inequality is very different to what you will hear speaking with Orsas, the rape and sexual assault service Highland, about the challenges faced by survivors living in rural areas around transport and services, but the deeply embedded networks of power that protect perpetrators in those communities do present differently when you take them in comparison to others. Tackling those issues, as if the same solution will work in Kirkwall, as in Wick, as in Glasgow, will not work. That should tell us a lot about the value of wider inclusion in the fight for gender equality, because I know my own experience of gender inequality, and that has shaped me, but it is vastly different to the experience of other women in this chamber who have spoken in this debate, and that will be again very different to the experiences of women across the world who are not engaged in politics, but we all have valuable contributions to make in identifying the issues and undoing them. Missing out on the voices of women in and from the global south is not just damaging to those women, but it is damaging to the whole cause of gender equality. I want to finish by saying that I spoke recently with a constituent. She is a poet, a feminist and a worker against sexual violence in the Highlands and Islands, and beyond. Her name is Myra Ross and her poetry is currently hanging on a window in my office, garnering significant attention from passers-by-including other MSPs. I mentioned that because I wanted to quote a line from her poem, Imagine. The poem imagines a world without sexual violence. It is a very challenging piece and I wish I had the time to share it all, but I will stick to this one line. Imagine, with just one stroke, their pain was wiped away. Imagine, just imagine, we can start that change today. We know that gender equality doesn't happen overnight and we can't wipe the pain away with just one stroke, but we can today make progress, make a difference to women and girls, no matter where they live, and start that change today. Thank you very much, minister. That concludes the debate on International Women's Day Global Perspective. It's time to move on to the next item of business. There are two questions to be put as a result of today's business. The first question is that amendment 12416.1, in the name of Megan Gallagher, which seeks to amend motion 12416, in the name of Crockab Stewart, on International Women's Day Global Perspective. Are we all agreed? That is agreed. The second question is that motion 12416, in the name of Crockab Stewart, as amended, on International Women's Day Global Perspective, be agreed? Are we all agreed? That is agreed. That concludes the decision time and I close this meeting of Parliament.