News
A statement from Scottish civil society organisations on the UK Government’s intervention on the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill
This week, the UK government announced their intention to block the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was recently passed overwhelmingly in the Scottish Parliament, from becoming law. We, the undersigned, wish to make clear our strong opposition to this intervention and to any suggestion that these reforms would have an adverse effect on the Equality Act or women’s rights.
Statement on waiting lists and the need for sustainable funding
Rape Crisis Scotland is calling for crucial funding for Rape Crisis Centres delivered during the Covid-19 pandemic to be extended.
10 centres across Scotland shared in £1,125,000 of funding to tackle waiting lists. This figure fell short of the £4,03,239 requested but made a significant impact on the support survivors were able to access during this period.
Waiting list funding enabled centres to boost staff numbers and tackle long waiting lists for support. If the waiting list funding is not extended, centres across Scotland have warned that a significant impact will be made to their ability to support survivors of sexual violence.
Some centres are already reporting long waiting lists, a situation which will worsen is funding is not extended.
Rape Crisis Scotland statement on the open letter to Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls
We, along with organisations from across Scotland’s women’s and human rights sector, have written to Reem Alsalem, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls.
Our letter is a response to the Rapporteur’s letter to the Scottish Government on Scotland’s Gender Reform Bill. We see the paths to equality and the realisation of human rights for women and trans people as being deeply interconnected and dependant on shared efforts to dismantle systems of discrimination.
The full letter is below.
Cost should not be a barrier to justice
Justice should not have a price tag.
Survivors who have had damaging experiences in court have the right to complain about how they have been treated during their case. But as Ellie Wilson’s case shows, survivors can be left with a massive bill, simply for seeking justice.
Statement on Inspection of COPFS practice in relation to sections 274 and 275 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995
This is a welcome, important and timely review. For survivors, the prospect of their sexual history or private life being brought up in court often forms part of the fear about reporting rape. When it happens, it can add significantly to the distress and violation experienced by rape complainers in court.
There are significant gaps in the available data around what is happening with this type of evidence, with the last published research based on cases from 2004-05.
Today’s review shows a significant decline in the number of applications being made which relate to a complainer’s sexual history other than with the accused, dropping from 20% in previous research to 3% today. This suggests that significant progress has been made in excluding irrelevant and prejudicial information about complainers’ sexual history from rape trials.
RSSLatest posts
- Remembering Tansy Main
- Sex crimes in Scotland reach second-highest level in 54 years
- 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
