1 July 2015

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visited Edinburgh Women’s Aid to announce that women and men across Scotland who suspect their partner has an abusive background may now have that information disclosed to them.

Police Scotland’s Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse in Scotland, also known as Clare’s Law, will be rolled out across the country later this year.

She was joined on the visit by Sir Stephen House, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.

FM @NicolaSturgeon announces rollout of @policescotland's Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse http://t.co/bQ6Fuf0VhL pic.twitter.com/NXf4uwO7Yw

— First Minister (@ScotGovFM) July 1, 2015

@NicolaSturgeon and @PoliceScotland came to visit us today. Great to talk to them about our work pic.twitter.com/BDqxNKJJOx

— Edin Women's Aid (@EdinWomensAid) July 1, 2015

Also known as Clare’s Law, the scheme allows people to contact the police and request information on their partner’s background if they suspect them of a history of domestic abuse.

It was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2009. She was unaware of his history of violence against women.

Her father, Michael Brown, has campaigned for people to have the right to ask for information about partners ever since and he welcomed the announcement when he met the First Minister.

It follows on from the First Minister’s announcement of £20 million for a range of measures to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls in Scotland. You can read about that here.

Speaking about the launch of the Disclosure Scheme rollout, the First Minister said:

“There is no excuse or place for domestic abuse in Scotland and we need to do all we can to ensure we protect people from what is an abhorrent crime.”