Almost three years ago, the Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism set out to answer two questions: What is sectarianism in Scotland now?

and: How should we deal with its consequences?

What happened was one of the most wide-ranging and challenging civic explorations of any equalities issue to have taken place in Scotland. That this was possible during a period that included the independence referendum in 2014 is a testament to the health of civic society in Scotland.

We met nobody who promoted sectarianism as a virtue but found evidence that the fear of sectarianism and its consequences may be a larger problem than sectarianism itself.

This discursive deficit means there is no consistent historical narrative about the development, nature and extent of the phenomenon. Sectarianism in Scotland is not "one thing", but is used to describe the consequences of deeply remembered hostility in different ways. Being Catholic or Protestant in Scotland was not something limited to the realm of theology and religion, but shaped identity and experience in everyday life.

Separating what was "sectarian" in the narrow denominational sense from anti-immigrant racism, poverty, access to the establishment or community tensions over other issues was at times akin to unscrambling eggs. Our goal was to create a context in which the culture of anxious silence around sectarianism was transformed into one of acknowledgement, action and change.

Sectarianism matters in three specific contexts: where it is used to discriminate or exclude (establishing Glass Ceilings), where it is used to justify violence or intimidation (signified by Glass Bottles) and where it has left persistent relationships of suspicion fostering prejudice and resentment (represented by Glass Curtains).

Poverty and social exclusion are not confined to one group, but there is historic evidence anti-Catholicism was a significant factor restricting life chances and access to advancement. Recent statistics suggest most of this has been addressed through education, legislation and changing social attitudes. Ensuring that we understand the complex relationships between religion, identity, ethnicity, poverty and politics that lead to sectarianism remains important in moving from anecdote to evidence as the basis for building equality.

In some communities sectarianism is strongly associated with fear and "a permissive environment" where abuse and violence is tolerated and even encouraged. Ending sectarian behaviour requires that responsibility for action is shared among all sectors of society.

Precisely because sectarianism is not a simple event, our emphasis has been on moving beyond denial and sensationalism to promote a culture of consistent change. For this reason we emphasised the role of local action and the development of better models of community practice and favoured an evidence-based approach in which allegations of sectarianism are investigated.

Scottish Government leadership has been vital in removing any permissive environment for sectarian attitudes or behaviour. Promoting a culture which acts against sectarianism where it is identified while refusing to turn it into a party-political football will be crucial for progress.

While there is a central role for government in monitoring progress and holding all to account, we believe the current legislative framework around equality and human rights, public order, hate crime and violence already provides a legal basis for action against unacceptable behaviour and its effectiveness should be scrutinised, monitored and updated.

Furthermore the impact of sectarianism has been so varied that it makes no sense to apply an inflexible centralised one size fits all policy. While addressing sectarianism should be a national priority, responsibility for tackling its manifestations and consequences in communities should be mainstreamed within local government.

But if central and local government have clear responsibilities, sectarianism persists primarily in institutions and organisations and in community and personal relationships. Change will depend on organisations which have been linked to sectarianism- such as churches, football clubs and authorities, schools, the criminal justice system, youth work and community work - developing visible actions to address the manifestations of sectarianism in their areas of activity and influence. Encouraging and highlighting this activity is an important role for the media in coming years.

Sectarianism still has the power to impact negatively on people's lives. But we have also seen a strong hunger for change across Scotland and a real desire to make sectarianism a thing of the past beyond either avoidance or blame. With goodwill, we have a chance to build a Scotland where the ending of sectarianism is a cause for celebration not shame.

Dr Duncan Morrow is chair of the Independent Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism.