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Thoughts from a young activist on Equally Safe at School (ESAS)

Here at Rape Crisis Scotland, we know that education is key in preventing sexual violence. Yet, recent research has found that young people in Scotland are not getting the guidance they need from schools around healthy relationships, and instead young women and girls are turning to social media for advice or learning from their own (often negative) experiences.

Of the nearly 500 young women and girls surveyed in the Rise Report, not one participant described feeling well supported to learn about relationships at school. For many young people these findings came as no surprise.

When we talk about sexual violence, we must remember that survivors are in the room.

'When you say “I’m a survivor” everybody just stops in their tracks and doesn't know how to communicate with you. They could have known you for like, months and months and had great conversations but the minute you mentioned that it's like “oh, how do I talk to you?” I think that's down to the media because we aren't having that proper conversation.’

This comes from Lisa, a member of the Survivor Reference Group (SRG). The SRG is a diverse participation group of over 50 survivors from across Scotland who advocate powerfully for change, drawing on their lived experience with individuals and institutions to improve responses to sexual violence.

What is the Forensic Medical Services Act and what does it mean for survivors?

What is it?

The Forensic Medical Services (Victims of Sexual Offences) (Scotland) Act 2021 is a change in the law which came into effect on 1st April 2022, that changes the way that survivors can access Forensic Medical Exams (FMEs) after a rape or sexual assault.

An FME is an examination performed by a specially trained healthcare professional to collect forensic evidence after a rape or sexual assault. You can usually access an FME for up to 7 days after the assault(s). After this window, it is unlikely (but not impossible) that evidence could be gathered.

The Vulnerability of Women With No Recourse to Public Funds, Sexual Violence and Exploitation

We live in a country that speaks so much of being tolerant, inclusive, and welcoming but this does not always match up with what is happening on the ground.

There are women in Scotland who have fled all sorts of dangers who are navigating life in this country whilst struggling with the traumas associated to being trafficked for sex, being subjected to marital rape, the victimhood of war related rape and sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. The harsh reality is that immigration policy dictates that many of these women do not qualify to stay in women’s refuges or temporary accommodation.

Most of us assume that women’s organisations would be able to support us should we need it. Yet, people working in these organisations know that harsh immigration policy means that not everyone is able to access support. What do I mean by that? Not having the “correct” immigration status impacts on the kind of help available.