Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has met with the father of a woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend ahead of the introduction of a pilot scheme allowing people to access information on their new partners' offending history.
Police Scotland's Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse, also known as "Clare's Law", is being trialled for six months in Ayrshire and Aberdeen from next Tuesday.
Mr MacAskill and Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Mawson met with Michael Brown, the father of the woman the scheme is named after in England and Wales.
His daughter Clare was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2009. She was unaware of his history of violence against women.
Mr Brown said: "We've already seen a successful pilot of Clare's Law in England and Wales and the figures from Manchester in particular have been very positive, if somewhat bittersweet for me personally.
"This law is a victory for common sense and I am pleased to see a similar scheme now being piloted in Scotland.
"Should these endeavours save but one life here, our efforts will have been worthwhile."
Mr MacAskill added: "No-one should ever have to suffer the pain of losing a son or daughter to violence. The strength and courage Michael Brown has shown following his daughter's death is truly remarkable and his hard work in leading the campaign for the development of a pilot scheme will help protect lives.
"Domestic abuse is an appalling crime and I believe that people in relationships should have the opportunity to seek the facts about their partner's background if, for example, they have concerns that they might have a history of domestic abuse.
"This pilot gives reassurance to the public and is backed by organisations such as Scottish Women's Aid, who are hugely supportive."
Mr MacAskill said the pilot was needed to test the practical implementation of the scheme before rolling it out across the whole country next year.
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