News

Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill: Call for evidence

The Scottish Government’s Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform Bill proposes really significant changes to the way rape and sexual assault cases are dealt with in the justice system. We believe that most of the changes it proposes will benefit survivors.

The Bill contains many proposals including

• Creating specialist courts for sexual offences
• Removing juries from sexual offence trials
• End the Not Proven verdict
• Introduce a legal right to anonymity in sexual offence cases

Our statement on the Funding Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of VAWG Services in Scotland

When we talk about services focused on violence against women and girls, we must remember that we’re talking about truly life saving services. The new Independent Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of VAWG Services in Scotland makes some important recommendations for how these services are funded and delivered, many of which we very much welcome.

Our initial response to proposed criminal justice reforms

Today the Scottish Government published the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. This is a potentially transformative bill which could significantly improve the experience of survivors of sexual violence.

Survivors across Scotland have campaigned tirelessly to highlight the injustices of the current legal process and have played a crucial role in making the case for change.

New figures on court delays in Scotland

Nobody should have to wait four years for justice.

New figures released today show that the length of time from offence to court verdict has increased since the pandemic.