News

Funding extended for essential Rape Crisis services

We are delighted that vital funding has been extended for ten Rape Crisis Centres. This funding, which was due to expire at the end of March, will safeguard the posts for some of the specialist Rape Crisis workers, who deliver crucial frontline support services to survivors of sexual violence, for a further 12 months.

The funding will help Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland to continue to provide specialist support to survivors of sexual violence that can be truly lifesaving.

This extension is in no small part thanks to supporters of the Survivors Can’t Wait campaign which we launched in November 2023. Our thanks go to everyone who supported the campaign in any way.

Demand for Rape Crisis support is ever-growing, and it is vital that when survivors reach out for support, they are able to receive it when they need it, not weeks or months later.

This funding extension will help sustain vital support services. This extension does not represent a funding increase, but a continuation. Even with this funding, demand for Rape Crisis support continually outstrips the resources Rape Crisis Centres have.

These essential services should not be dependent on short-term funding pots. Rape Crisis Centres cannot be back in the same position, facing a major funding cut, in 12 months’ time.

Rape Crisis services are emergency services. They need long term, sustainable funding so that staff and survivors can be certain that the future of these services is secure. Proper resourcing and funding of support services must be a priority for any government which takes tackling Violence Against Women and Girls seriously.