Under consideration PE2263: Address non-contact and peer-on-peer sexual offending
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to address non-contact and peer-on-peer sexual offending, by:
• Requiring schools to inform all parents when harmful sexual behaviour is reported;
• Escalating repeated non-contact/peer-on-peer incidents beyond voluntary approaches with parental engagement;
• Ensuring victims receive support and are not left feeling silenced;
• Strengthening responses to adult non-contact offences, including internet restrictions;
• Improving data on repeated incidents;
• Challenging the culture that minimises this harm.
Background information
Non-contact and peer-on-peer sexual offending is still too often minimised in Scotland. Early signs of harmful sexual behaviour in children, young people and adults are frequently met with little meaningful consequence. In school-age cases, parents are often not informed despite schools knowing a child has been harmed. Repeated incidents can pass without escalation, and victims are left silenced. Purely voluntary approaches allow patterns of behaviour to continue without real accountability.
The same minimisation appears in adult non-contact offences, including serious, indecent images of children. Earlier behaviour is too often overlooked until greater harm occurs, and restrictions do not always match the seriousness of the offending.
Existing frameworks have not closed these gaps. Clearer requirements for parental notification, decisive action on repeated incidents, better data, and a stronger overall stance are needed.
1 signature