news_july

female survivors of rape and child sexual abuse

mothers whose children have been abused

anyone supporting a survivor, such as friends, partners, parents and families.

The Network is delighted to welcome the centre as a new member.

Contact Information: (a new page for the centre will be added to the website later this month on our local centres page)

The Rape Counselling & Resource Centre

PO Box 23

Kilmarnock

KA1 1DP

Crisisline: 01563 541769

Open Mon -Thurs 10am - 5pm and Friday 10am - 2pm.

The four new centres being established this year and next are being started up with funding from the Scottish Executive.

Other members of the Network are:

Rape and Sexual Abuse North East, in Aberdeen .

the Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre, in Dundee .

Edinburgh Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre.

the Rape Crisis Centre in Glasgow.

Full contact details for them are on our local centres page.

More disturbing news on rape conviction rates

Scotland ’s conviction rate for rape has fallen to another all time low. Figures released in June show the rate falling from the already appallingly low rate of 6% to only just above 4% in 2002-3.

This follows news earlier in June that the number of rapes and attempted rapes reported to the police in 2002 was up by 8 per cent on the previous year, which itself had seen a record rise of 21 per cent.

Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson revealed the statistics in a written reply to a question from South of Scotland SNP MSP Christine Grahame.

This is the text of the written answer:

Rape

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many rapes have been reported in each police force area in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02, (d) 2002-03, (e) 2003-04 and (f) 2004-05 to date and, of these, how many have been successfully prosecuted in each year.

Holding answer issued: 4 June 2004

(S2W-8361)

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on crimes of rape which were recorded by the police, and on persons with a charge proved in court where rape was the main offence, is given in the following tables.

Crimes of Rape Recorded by the Police by Police Force Area, Scotland, 1999-2000 to 2002-2003 1

	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003
Central	4	17	37	50
Dumfries and Galloway	39	16	20	16
Fife	43	46	52	73
Grampian	86	55	52	74
Lothian and Borders	91	130	138	173
Northern	38	14	29	30
Strathclyde	222	213	243	244
Tayside	63	58	60	83
Scotland	586	549	631	743

Persons with a Charge Of Rape 2 Proved in Scottish Courts, by Police Force Area, 1999-2000 to 2002-2003

	1999-2000	2000-2001	2001-2002	2002-2003 3
Central	2	1	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	1	2	1	1
Fife	1	1	5	5
Grampian	5	1	2	1
Lothian and Borders	7	9	11	4
Northern	3	0	3	4
Strathclyde	8	10	18	12
Tayside	0	3	3	2
Scotland	27	27	43	31

Notes:1. Please note that the statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim, and a crime may be recorded in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges recorded by the police may also be altered as a result of the judicial process.

2. Where main offence.

3. Provisional data – figures will be underestimates due to late recording of court outcomes on SCRO.

This written answer is available on the Scottish Parliament website by clicking on ‘rape’ on the list of subjects of written answers at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/wa-04/war0618.htm

Legal seminar examining responses to rape in Scotland , England & Wales and New Zealand. Four key speakers.

THIS NEWS SECTION IS GIVING ADVANCE NOTICE OF A SEMINAR ON LEGAL RESPONSES TO RAPE, BEING ORGANISED IN GLASGOW ON THURSDAY 19th AUGUST 2004

The seminar will examine the way the law responds to rape. As other news items this month and last report, it comes at a time when in Scotland the statistics show an all time high for rape and an all time low for convictions.

There are also reviews underway of both the legislation around rape and sexual offences in Scotland and the prosecution of rape and sexual offences (see earlier news reports on the website). This seminar provides an essential and timely opportunity to look at how to improve the justice system response.

It will take place from 12 noon – 4.45pm.

Speakers:

James Chalmers, Aberdeen University

Gerry Maher, Scottish Law Commission

(the Scottish Law Commission was asked in June by Justice Minister Cathy Jamieson to review the laws on rape and sexual offences)

Vera Baird, QC, M.P

Jan Jordan, University of Wellington

Full details of the speakers, their presentations, and the venue are still to be confirmed, but will be posted on the website and circulated to interested organisations in mid-late July. If you are not on our mailing lists and would like us to send you information once it is available please email: info@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk marking the subject ‘legal seminar information request’.

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