A SOCIAL media campaign against gender-based violence has been launched by Police Scotland in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University.

The move comes as figures show that in the past six years 56 people have been murdered by domestic abuse, an average of nine people every year.

Of those killed, almost three quarters of the victims were female and in 82% of cases the perpetrator was male. Two thirds of victims were aged between 41 and 50 and nearly two thirds of perpetrators were over the age of 40, with the highest number aged between 51 and 60.

To mark 16 Days of activism against gender-based violence, Police Scotland has joined with Glasgow Caledonian University to roll out their #EraseTheGrey campaign across the country.

It is designed to tackle the myths around gender-based violence, including murder, rape and sexual assault, female genital mutilation and stalking.

The campaign, created by staff and students at the university earlier this year, will be shared across Police Scotland’s digital channels. Expected to reach an audience of more than two million Scots, it features statements like “it’s romantic, it’s not stalking” before changing the statement to read “it’s stalking”.

Detective Chief Superintendent Lesley Boal said the campaign was innovative, to the point and could be taken to a wide audience using Police Scotland’s network.

“It banishes any doubt about the many forms that gender-based violence can take or the excuses offenders commonly use to explain their criminal actions,” Boal said.

“Domestic homicide is an extreme form of gender-based violence but serves as an example of the serious harm which we must all collectively challenge.”

The police chief said that although preventing gender-based violence was the ultimate goal of Police Scotland, policing alone was not the solution.

She added: “Tackling gender-based violence is the responsibility of society, all of us working together to recognise it, challenge it, and support those who have experienced it and to report it to appropriate services.”

Boal said she hoped the campaign would give people the confidence to report crimes.

She continued: “Utilising our digital channels, we are taking Glasgow Caledonian’s message to a much wider audience across the length and breadth of Scotland, “By maximising its spread, we hope it will give people the confidence to report criminal behaviour either to police or to our partners. But more importantly, it will challenge the perceptions and excuses of those people who perpetrate gender-based violence.”

Professor Pamela Gillies, principal and vice-chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, said the campaign had been informed by the results from research.

“The campaign has simple messages, challenges myths, helps raise awareness and directs people to appropriate support services,” the professor commented.

“As the University for the Common Good, we are delighted to share this resource with Police Scotland and the wider public.”