The Scottish Law Commission recommended that a definition of the term 'consent' in rape cases should be placed on the statute book.
Source: Report on Rape and Other Sexual Offences, Report 209, Scottish Law Commission (0131 668 2131)
Links: Report | SLC press release | SG press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Dec
A report examined discriminatory attitudes in Scotland in 2006 – the extent and character of discriminatory attitudes, and why people held them. 29 per cent of people said that sometimes there was good reason to be prejudiced. The majority (65 per cent) said that Scotland should do everything it could to get rid of all kinds of prejudice.
Source: Catherine Bromley, John Curtice and Lisa Given, Attitudes to Discrimination in Scotland: 2006, Scottish Government, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release
Date: 2007-Dec
A report said that people with a learning disability in prisons in Scotland were not being identified. Many were also bullied and cut out of rehabilitation courses; and most prison staff were not given the training or resources to deal with them.
Source: Nancy Loucks with Jenny Talbot, No One Knows: Identifying and supporting prisoners with learning difficulties and learning disabilities – the views of prison staff, Prison Reform Trust (020 7251 5070)
Links: Report | PRT press release | BBC report
Date: 2007-Sep
The disability rights watchdog examined the relevance of the key priorities outlined in its 'Disability Agenda' (2006) in relation to the experience and self-identified needs of Scotland?s black and minority ethnic communities.
Source: Creating an Alternative Future: What Does It Mean for Scotland?s Black and Minority Ethnic Communities?, Disability Rights Commission (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2007-Jul
The sex equality watchdog in Scotland said that visible ethnic minority women were three times more likely to be unemployed than white women. Although minority ethnic girls were the highest achieving group in school, minority ethnic women were likely to be clustered in a narrower range of occupations than white women, and to be working for less pay.
Source: Moving On Up? The Way Forward, Equal Opportunities Commission Scotland (0845 601 5904)
Links: Report | EOC press release
Date: 2007-May
A report examined a scheme (introduced to Scotland in 2000) which was designed as an innovative way to strengthen communities' capacity to welcome and include people with learning disabilities. Local area co-ordinators were highly valued by the individuals and families they worked with, and service users reported that the scheme had made a significant difference to their lives.
Source: Kirsten Stalker, Margaret Malloch, Monica Barry and June Watson, Evaluation of the Implementation of Local Area Co-ordination in Scotland, Scottish Executive (web publication only)
Date: 2007-Mar
A report provided a review of statistics on gender differences and inequalities in Scotland across a range of key areas of social and economic life.
Source: Esther Breitenbach and Fran Wasoff, A Gender Audit of Statistics: Comparing the position of women and men in Scotland, Scottish Executive, available from Blackwell's Bookshop (0131 622 8283)
Date: 2007-Mar
