The Minister said the Scottish government was committed to building on existing efforts to ensure that victims get the support and information they need to help them deal with what has happened.

He added: “The competition will help raise awareness of the issue while also helping pupils gain valuable public speaking skills”.

Victim Support Scotland, a charity which helps the victims and witnesses of crime, and Bank of Scotland Corporate have launched the competition to encourage school pupils to debate the issues of criminal justice in Scotland, in particular youth crime and the damaging effects it can have on the lives of young offenders, their victims and families.

In year one (2008-2009) six schools across seven regions will be selected by the relevant director of education to participate in the competition.

The schools will receive a literature pack on the work of the sponsors. Posters outlining VSS’s work and contact numbers will be produced for display within schools. In each school a class project will be initiated to discover pupils’ views on the topic and two pupils will be selected to make an oral presentation.

The winning pupils from the seven region competitions will each receive an engraved medal marking their success and will advance to a national final. The champions of the regional finals will receive medals, with a shield for their school. The winning school at national level will receive a cheque for £10,000 and the successful pupils will receive shields.

The project fits within the Scottish Executive’s Curriculum for Excellence and has the support of the Society of Directors of Education in Scotland. The scheme has run in South Lanarkshire for a number of years and last year was expanded to Glasgow schools.

In the second year of the event all Scottish education regions will be able to participate.

David McKenna, Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland, welcomed the initiative and commented: "We believe this public speaking competition will further the charity’s efforts to discourage youth crime and to make everyone aware - regardless of age - how damaging it can be, not only to the victims but also to those who commit the offences.

Ty Jones, Head of Corporate Responsibility for Bank of Scotland Corporate, said, “This initiative is a very positive way to encourage our young people to engage in dialogue about the problems of youth crime and anti-social behaviour. The spoken word is a powerful tool with which to humanise the impact of what is now regarded as one of the most pressing social issues of our time, and can do so in a way that statistics may sometimes fail to convey”.