i'm declaring ruth davidson the duly elected leader ruth is the former i'm declaring ruth davidson theted leader... ruth is the former leader of the scottish conservatives. she's now out of frontline politics. the one thing i don't miss is the abuse. these are just words, can they really do harm? before social media existed, people could be done for being threatening in the street and real life for some of the things that they said and the hate speech that they had. the fact that they are talking directly to someone on line, through the medium of their phone, doesn't stop that being threatening. the reason people attack strong women or qualified women or expert women is because they don't like either what they are trying to say or the very fact of who it is that is saying it. i will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. i will not. when she made this speech, julia gillard was the prime minister of australia. not now. not ever. she was furious when the leader of the opposition called her government sexist. i will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. i

i'm declaring ruth davidson the duly elected leader...ut my physical appearance. a lot of it has been about the fact that i'm gay. and a lot of it has been about the fact that i'm a woman who has opinions. ruth davidson is the former leader of the scottish conservatives. before social media existed, you know, somebody could get done for being threatening, for being threatening in the street. the fact that it's through the medium of their phone doesn't stop that being threatening. and it's notjust politicians. dr rachel clarke used twitter during the pandemic to encourage people to get their covid jabs. she says she was bombarded with abuse as a result. i have reported misogynistic abuse, threats of rape, threats of being killed over and over again. most of those reports have never resulted in anyone being blocked or issued with temporary ban on twitter. twitter says it takes action when its rules are violated, and that closing accounts isn't the only option. as the bbc�*s specialist disinformation reporter, i also get a lot of abuse. so i

i am joined now by the chief executive of refuge, ruth davidson, who will tell us more about the eventg _ organise this event today? we have been working on _ organise this event today? we have been working on the _ organise this event today? we have been working on the front - organise this event today? we have been working on the front lines - organise this event today? we have been working on the front lines of l been working on the front lines of violence _ been working on the front lines of violence against women and girls for years. _ violence against women and girls for years. so— violence against women and girls for years. so we — violence against women and girls for years, so we have known it has been an epidemic— years, so we have known it has been an epidemic hidden behind closed doors _ an epidemic hidden behind closed doors as— an epidemic hidden behind closed doors. as you said in your introduction, these silhouettes represent the 16 women, including sarah _ represent the 16 women, including sarah everard, who have lost their lives _ sarah everard, who have lost their liv