OVER one in three young women in Scotland said they have been in an intimate relationship with someone who harmed them physically or emotionally.

Those are the shocking findings of a new study which said that education on domestic abuse and unhealthy relationships should be part of Scotland's national curriculum or should be brought into all schools and education settings by external expert organisations.

The research from Scottish Women’s Aid (SWA) and YWCA Scotland said the extent of abusive relationships uncovered was "troubling" and calls for more support to better cater for the needs of young women and non-binary people dealing with unhealthy relationships and domestic abuse.

Their survey of nearly 500 people which ran across Scotland between August and October last year, found that 36% of young women had been in an intimate relationship with someone who harmed them physically or emotionally.

And almost three in four (74%) knew someone who had been in an intimate relationship with someone who was abusive or harmed them physically or emotionally.

But some 57% said they did not learn about unhealthy relationships or domestic abuse in school.

And not one survey participant said they felt well supported to learn about relationships at school.

Of those who did learn about unhealthy relationships or domestic abuse at school, they said the coverage was brief, limited or not very useful.

Less than one in ten said support services and resources for unhealthy relationships and domestic abuse across Scotland were well catered to the needs of young women.

The report says that education on domestic abuse and unhealthy relationships should start early and focus on dismantling the root causes of abuse, support young people to recognise the signs of unhealthy relationships and to provide information of the support that is available.

It said teaching should be "expansive and inclusive" ensuring young people with varied experiences are represented and LGBTQ+ relationships are included.

The Scottish Government said it is funding an Equally Safe at School pilot project which is aimed at tackling sexual harassment and gender based violence in schools.

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It said that it was "committed" to exploring whether further actions beyond those already planned, including guidance for schools, are required.

The Scottish Government will also commission an independent review to establish positive practice and further areas for improvement, during this parliamentary session.

The research for the analysis, was carried out by YWCA with Young Women Rise – a group of ten young women from across Scotland, some of whom have lived experience of domestic abuse in their own relationships.

The Rise Report finds that, young women reported wishing they had been taught about emotional abuse and other toxic behaviours at school, which could have helped them recognise abuse earlier in their own relationships.

Rhianna Mallia, research and impact manager at YWCA, said: “It was a privilege to work with Young Women Rise on this important research, we were able to gather rich and nuanced data because of their input into the design of this project.

“This report and campaign are a call to action; support services need more funding and resources to better cater to the needs of young women and non-binary people dealing with unhealthy relationships and domestic abuse. Not one participant felt supported to learn about relationships at school; this needs to change. Young women need to be able to recognise the signs of abuse, feel validated that they are worthy of support, and then know how to access it.

“YWCA Scotland will continue to engage with young women and non-binary people to amplify their voices and experiences.”

Some 40% of young women said they would feel more comfortable seeking support from Women’s Aid specifically, if they had a support service for young women. They indicated it would be easier to relate to a service that had been developed to support their age group.

Gabrielle Blackburn, service development co-ordinator at Scottish Women’s Aid said: “The Women’s Aid network are united in wanting to tackle the issue of abuse in young women’s intimate relationships. We know how hard it can be for them to get the support they need, and we want to make it easier.

"This report tells us that we are providing the right type of support – non-judgmental, survivor led and inclusive. It also shows us where we can be better. The Women’s Aid network will use this research to improve how we promote our services to young women and girls, so that they know Women’s Aid are here for them and so they understand how to reach out to us when they feel ready.

“The research will help us make sure we are better able to welcome all young women who require support around domestic abuse.” A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “There is absolutely no place for harassment or abuse of any form - whether in the workplace, schools, in the home or in society.

“We are determined to ensure children and young people receive high-quality relationships, sexual health and parenthood education in schools. This includes age appropriate learning about consent, including sexual consent, that abuse is wrong and sexual harassment.

“We continue to take forward a range of actions in schools to address gender based violence and sexual harassment and we are developing a national framework for schools to help tackle sexual harassment and gender based violence.”

It comes as victims' charities called review of a domestic abuse scheme that tells people if their partners have a history of offending.

The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) was launched in 2015 after the death of Clare Wood.

But figures have revealed that the applications to the scheme - known as Clare's Law - soared during lockdown.

Police Scotland said it was assessing the effectiveness of DSDAS, and it was "a key part" of preventing abuse.

However, domestic abuse charities say nothing has been done to evaluate whether the scheme has reduced abuse towards women.