This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Improved services for rape and abuse victims
23/01/2004
New and improved services for rape and
sexual abuse victims will be running across Scotland by the
end of the year, it was announced today.
Communities Minister Margaret Curran
pledged radical changes to the way Rape Crisis Centres are
funded and the possibility of a new national helpline
service, similar to the successful Domestic Abuse
Helpline.
The Executive has allocated new
funding totalling £1.86 million to stablise and provide
consistency in the services that Rape Crisis Centres
provide.
This means that, for the first time in
the UK, local Rape Crisis Centres will now receive core
funding from central government.
The Minister said:
"Rape and sexual abuse are abhorrent
crimes and this new funding will transform the support
services currently on offer in Scotland. Support is vital
in helping people recover and rebuild their lives when they
have suffered like this.
"The services currently on offer are
either patchy or non-existent and I will address this
problem so that people get the advice and support they need
and deserve, wherever they live.
"I also want to investigate the
possibility of establishing a telephone helpline for
victims of sexual violence. We will carry out a feasibility
study in consultation with Rape Crisis Scotland, the
Domestic Abuse Helpline and local rape crisis groups."
Sandy Brindley, National Development
Worker for Rape Crisis Scotland, said:
"For too long Rape Crisis Centres have
struggled to provide an essential service on very limited
resources. Women tell us that it can take them weeks to
actually get through to a Rape Crisis line, due to
restricted opening times or phonelines being constantly
engaged.
"The Aberdeen centre only receives
around £5,500 core funding a year and has to rely on
donations, which gives some idea of the problems our
centres face.
"We are delighted with this new money
to improve services in Scotland.
Combined with the new Violence Against Women
Fund, it will make a significant difference in the support
available for women and girls who have been raped or
abused."
There are currently nine rape support
groups in Ayr, Aberdeen, Central, Dumfries and Galloway,
Dundee, Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, and Kilmarnock.
All services are poorly resourced and
groups face a constant stuggle to maintain their service.
Each group will receive £50,000 per year to allow them to
expand their service.
Aberdeen is particularly
under-resourced and will receive a total of £95,000 to
bring it into line with the other groups. A further
£200,000 has been assigned to develop new services
including one in the Western Isles, where the service is
non-existent at present. All this funding will be
distributed during the financial year 2004/05 and will
continue for 2005/06 with an additional £225,000 to develop
further services.
A national helpline for women who have
experienced rape and sexual abuse is a long term aim of the
Scottish Rape Crisis Network. A feasibility study will be
conducted and £250,000 has been set aside to aid the
establishment of a helpline.
The latest statistics on crimes
recorded by the police in Scotland showed that reports of
rate and attempted rape are on the increase. In 2002, 913
incidents were reported which marks an increase of 21 per
cent on the previous year. (Criminal Justice Statistical
Bulletin. Recorded Crime in Scotland 2002. May 2003).