News
Response to the Criminal Justice Committee Report
We welcome the report today released by the Criminal Justice Committee and particularly the calls for urgency. Though the justice system is complex, and changes to these systems are slow, this should not be confused for the fact that there are solutions to the issues that we face.
Solutions – including implementation of the recommendations of Lady Dorrian’s review – require political will and resource, and this exactly is what survivors need and deserve.
The experiences shared by the survivors that we supported in November were powerful and distressing, and we are grateful to those who took part to advocate for change. The trauma of the sexual violence that the survivors had experienced was in many cases compounded by a system that too often at best is not responding appropriately to victims of sexual crimes and at worst is actively retraumatising. Their calls for urgent change should be heard.
Sexual offences require a specialist approach and system redesign. Though we are encouraged by the recommendations in the report that refer to communication and process – both areas that survivors are deeply impacted by – we cannot shy away from the bigger, structural elements that stand in the way of justice for so many survivors.
We were glad to see the recommendation of the expansion of the National Advocacy Project as the main resource that we have to mitigate the trauma inflicted upon survivors by the justice system. Survivors describe advocacy support as life-saving – and if survivors are to continue to be asked to engage with a system that too often does not uphold or protect their rights, nor serve any form of justice, then it is imperative that advocacy is resourced and able to be there for every survivor who wants it, at the point of need.
The pandemic has been devastating for so many, and it has exposed and deepened the cracks that already existed for survivors of rape and sexual assault seeking justice.
Seeking justice after sexual crimes will never be easy, but it categorically does not have to be this hard. There is no inevitability to the harms being inflicted by our justice system and we cannot accept them as such. We welcome this report and look forward to engaging with the action that it must result in.
Response to Tribunal
“We regret that we were not successful in defending our case at this tribunal.
We believe that we have a responsibility to take complaints of bullying and racism very seriously and are disappointed that the tribunal did not agree with our actions in relation to these. The judgment contains numerous factual errors. We strongly disagree with their approach to racist behaviour, however we will reflect carefully on the judgment and consider what further steps are appropriate.
As an organisation our absolute priority is working to create an environment where staff and volunteers feel safe, supported and able to thrive. We are committed to ongoing learning in this regard and will look to what more that we can do as an organisation to ensure that all of our team have the support and resources to enable this.”
- Spokesperson for Rape Crisis Scotland
Response to Evidence Presented to Criminal Justice Committee
"The backlog figures quoted by the Lord Advocate today are deeply concerning. Behind these figures is the human cost and the distress and trauma that many survivors are subject to as a result of endless waits for their cases to come to court
We share the concerns that the Lord Advocate raised at the Criminal Justice Committee today and absolutely support her call for a re-consideration of Judge-led trials. Not doing anything is not an option in a country that claims to value fairness and justice, nor can we make tiny changes and hope the situation resolves itself. Bold action is needed.
We hear daily from survivors about the distress and suffering that long delays in the court process are causing, with survivors often left with little to no information or certainty. We cannot simply accept this as an inevitable side effect of the pandemic and we urge the Scottish Parliament to act and find radical action and innovative solutions."
- Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland
Full story in The Herald here.
Rape Crisis Scotland: Survivors speak out on Policing in Scotland
Rape Crisis Scotland have today (3rd November) released a powerful report by survivors of rape, sexual violence, and abuse on Police Responses in Scotland. The Survivor Reference Group (SRG) report details experiences of Police responses to reports of sexual crimes and makes critical recommendations that – if implemented - could transform survivors’ experiences of reporting sexual violence.
Many survivors of sexual crimes do not report what has happened to them for a variety of reasons. For those that do, Police responses are understood as being a significant factor not just in survivors experience of the justice process – regardless of whether the case reaches court and the verdict – but in their ability to come to terms with what has happened and seek further support.
Programme For Government: Our Response
We welcome elements of the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government announced yesterday.
It is good to see movement on issues relating to survivors of sexual violence that Rape Crisis Scotland have long advocated for, however we would argue that in some areas it does not go far enough.
Many of these commitments are long overdue and we must make sure that these ambitions are not just words, but that they translate into material improvements in the lives and experiences of survivors in Scotland.
We’re especially pleased to see:
- Commitment to consult on the removal of the Not Proven Verdict
- Introduction of legislation to protect the anonymity of all complainers of sexual crimes under Scots law
- Recognition of the importance of specialist services, and commitment to supporting frontline services – this must be sustainable
- Investment in services to support male victims of sexual violence
- Independent review looking at gender-based violence within education and best practice
- Exploration of reform of corroboration, and further conversation about the impact of this
- Recognition of the retraumatising impact of the justice system on many survivors of sexual violence, and development of trauma informed framework to address this.
It’s also positive to see that recommendations from the Dorrian Review (more on this here) are to be given serious consideration. If implemented, these recommendations would improve the landscape of justice in Scotland, reduce the impact of seeking justice on survivors of sexual violence and help Scotland to become a more compassionate and just country, something that we all want to see.
As a priority, we are calling for a commitment to full implementation of the recommendations of the Dorrian Review, with associated timescales.
Rape, sexual assault and abuse are not inevitable, and we are not powerless in our efforts to prevent it from happening and in ensuring that all survivors, no matter what happened or when, are met with compassion and an appropriate response. It is the very least that survivors in Scotland deserve.
RSSLatest posts
- RCS calls for the Scottish Government and MSPs to work together to introduce key legislation for survivors of sexual crime
- Changes announced by the Sottish Government to the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Bill
- Landmark judgment on corroboration in sexual offence cases
- New figures show a significant rise in number of reported rapes in Scotland
- We’re intervening in a Supreme Court case
