Domestic abuse victims should be given paid time off to allow them to leave their partners, a north-east MSP has argued.
Gillian Martin has called for Scotland to follow the lead of New Zealand in offering people the chance to find a way out of abusive relationships and secure safe accommodation.
Earlier this month, Ms Martin had a resolution unanimously backed at the SNP’s autumn conference in Glasgow calling for the measure to be implemented in Scotland too.
Now she has written to Christine McKelvie, minister for older people and equalities, to find out what steps have been taken to engage with the UK Government on the issue, as it is a reserved power.
She said: “The Scottish Government has made huge strides already with regard to both physical and verbal abuse suffered by victims of domestic abuse.
“It is clear what a devastating and long-lasting impact violence of this kind has on a family as a whole and it is essential we do all we can to aid those people extricating themselves from abusive relationships.
“New Zealand has taken a radical, forward-thinking approach to this issue and is showing the way in how we can help victims of domestic abuse here in Scotland too.”
It comes after it was revealed that almost 1,600 people have been warned their partners are a potential abuser thanks to the Clare’s Law scheme pioneered in the north-east.
Clare’s Law allows people to find out if someone they are in a relationship with has a history of violence or abuse.
It was set up after Clare Wood was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009.