Iriss outline: Language and service provision surrounding abuse in Scotland

This briefing looks at how legislation, policy, and services use the term ‘abuse’ and related terms such as ‘victim’. Use of words surrounding abuse is complex, because how we talk about abuse can vary across contexts. It is also dynamic, because societal understanding of abuse has changed over the past decades. This briefing unpicks the different meanings the language of abuse can have – and how they have impacted policy and practice. Part of the Iriss outline series.