News

January 2004 Updated 23 Jan

NEW FUNDING FOR RAPE CRISIS WILL BOOST SERVICES FOR SURVIVORS

Communities Minister Margaret Curran has announced £1.76 million additional funding for the development of rape crisis services around Scotland.

National development worker Sandy Brindley welcomed the move, saying the funding will enable rape crisis centres to provide a significant improvement in the support available for women and girls who have been raped or abused.

Below is the full text of the Scottish Executive press release, also available on the SE website at www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2004/01/SECO176b.aspx

 

Improved services for rape and abuse victims
23/01/2004

New and improved services for rape and sexual abuse victims will be running across Scotland by the end of the year, it was announced today.

Communities Minister Margaret Curran pledged radical changes to the way Rape Crisis Centres are funded and the possibility of a new national helpline service, similar to the successful Domestic Abuse Helpline.

The Executive has allocated new funding totalling £1.76 million to stablise and provide consistency in the services that Rape Crisis Centres provide.

This means that, for the first time in the UK, local Rape Crisis Centres will now receive core funding from central government.

The Minister said:

"Rape and sexual abuse are abhorrent crimes and this new funding will transform the support services currently on offer in Scotland. Support is vital in helping people recover and rebuild their lives when they have suffered like this.

"The services currently on offer are either patchy or non-existent and I will address this problem so that people get the advice and support they need and deserve, wherever they live.

"I also want to investigate the possibility of establishing a telephone helpline for victims of sexual violence. We will carry out a feasibility study in consultation with Rape Crisis Scotland, the Domestic Abuse Helpline and local rape crisis groups."

Sandy Brindley, National Development Worker for Rape Crisis Scotland, said:

"For too long Rape Crisis Centres have struggled to provide an essential service on very limited resources. Women tell us that it can take them weeks to actually get through to a Rape Crisis line, due to restricted opening times or phonelines being constantly engaged.

"The Aberdeen centre only receives around £5,500 core funding a year and has to rely on donations, which gives some idea of the problems our centres face.

"We are delighted with this new money to improve services in Scotland. Combined with the new Violence Against Women Fund, it will make a significant difference in the support available for women and girls who have been raped or abused."

There are currently eight Rape Crisis groups in Ayr, Aberdeen, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow.

All services are poorly resourced and groups face a constant stuggle to maintain their service. Each group will receive £50,000 per year to allow them to expand their service.

Aberdeen is particularly under-resourced and will receive a total of £95,000 to bring it into line with the other groups. A further £200,000 has been assigned to develop new services including one in the Western Isles, where the service is non-existent at present. All this funding will be distributed during the financial year 2004/05 and will continue for 2005/06 with an additional £225,000 to develop further services.

A national helpline for women who have experienced rape and sexual abuse is a long term aim of the Scottish Rape Crisis Network. A feasibility study will be conducted and £250,000 has been set aside to aid the establishment of a helpline.

The latest statistics on crimes recorded by the police in Scotland showed that reports of rate and attempted rape are on the increase. In 2002, 913 incidents were reported which marks an increase of 21 per cent on the previous year. (Criminal Justice Statistical Bulletin. Recorded Crime in Scotland 2002. May 2003).

NEW LEAFLET

Rape Crisis Scotland has a new information leaflet detailing the work of the national office, what we can offer and what services our member centres provide. It also has full contact details for our member centres.

The leaflet is available by contacting the office, but it can also be downloaded here .

Our new newsletter Rape Crisis News will be launched at the end of January and will be on the website in February.