In today’s uncertain political and social climate, Scotland’s promise to enshrine the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) into Scot’s Law is a glimmer of light amid the chaos caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again proving itself as a champion of women’s rights, Scotland’s socialist approach to this issue has taken into account different perspectives and has thus ensured the possibility of a safer Scotland for all inhabitants.
Scotland is the first country in the world to make period products free for those who need them. The Period Products (Free Provision)(Scotland) Bill, proposed by Monica Lennon MSP (Member of the Scottish Parliament) was approved unanimously by MSPs on November 24 2020. Soon, it will become enshrined in law and I, alongside many others, am delighted that Scotland is tackling period poverty, especially using such an inclusive approach. The Bill will make the service accessible to all who need it and give responsibility to local authorities (councils) and institutions to tailor the service to their population’s needs.
The next Scottish census will be in 2021 and this will be the first year that ‘Pagan’ is offered as an option in the religion category. This is an awaited breakthrough for the community of this minority religion who have never had official recognition in a census, and who have fought for the past 20 years to have more coverage, respect, and official statistics surrounding their numbers in Scotland.