A Glasgow scheme to encourage rape survivors to report the crime is ‘letting victims down’

They said it’s not getting enough referrals from the police


A scheme set up to encourage survivors of rape to report their experiences is letting down victims after just two years, say staff working on the project.

The Support to Report scheme aims to help more people through the process of talking about rape, reporting it to police and ultimately taking the case to court.

But staff working at Glasgow’s Rape Crisis Centre say they have faced challenges with the courts in allowing them to accompany survivors who are giving evidence against their attackers. They also said the scheme is not receiving enough referrals from the police.

Staff claim they are often seen as a service which “gives people hugs”, and are not treated as professionals by members of the police and courts service. And they say the scheme is not receiving enough referrals from police officers who are contacted by victims of rape.

In a six month period, between April and August this year, police Scotland referred 32 people to Glasgow Rape Crisis. However, in the last 12 months, the Glasgow support to report scheme has received 200 referrals which they say mainly comes from individuals, and from other rape crisis centres.

Cat Storrie, the Support to Report coordinator at Glasgow Rape Crisis, said: “The police were supposed to refer to us so we, the advocacy workers, would be present at that time when statements were being made but that isn’t happening at all.

“There have been so many cases where the way that it was offered to the survivor, it wasn’t encouraging them to come and see us. It came across like they didn’t want the support.”

Officers working in Glasgow’s rape investigation unit have disagreed and say they offer 100 percent of victims the option of a referral to rape crisis – however they don’t always take it.

Craig Willison, Detective Inspector in Glasgow’s divisional rape investigation unit said: “As a matter of course, when we get a report of a rape, we ask for the consent of the victim to refer them to Rape Crisis.

“We will automatically do that, and a lot of the victims take up that referral. We pass on their details and rape crisis will make contact with them. We deal with victims at a time of crisis, when it is traumatic for them.

“Sometimes people don’t want the referral. If they don’t, we check back again in two weeks and then two weeks after that. If the victim is still not ready we can go back later, it’s particular to that victim and that case, but we have to have their consent.”

Workers on the Support to Report project say they have also had difficulty in being allowed to accompany survivors into court when they have to give evidence against their attackers.

Paula Dunn, who has worked at rape crisis centre for the last 12 years, said victims will give better evidence if they are supported by an advocacy worker who they know.

She said: “The courts are not taking into consideration that giving evidence is traumatic but particularly so in sexual crimes. The trauma a witness goes through is increased by giving evidence. They will give better evidence if they feel they have somebody sitting behind them who knows them, who understands them.”

Cat added: “We would usually phone up the procurator fiscal’s office, victim support and victim information and would request that we can sit with them. We don’t talk, we don’t do anything. We just literally sit there. “We are professionals, but we are there for her to know that there is someone who understands what she is feeling.

“I had one case where I had requested my name on the list to be able to support the survivor in court. We went back and forth and the victim information service said yes, but it would be up to the court on the day whether I could sit in with her or not.

“On the day when the case started, the procurator fiscal said no as I could influence the case, there could be accusations of me prompting the survivor. It’s really very unfair. We are a professional organisation. We may have some knowledge of the case but often not a lot, we are there to support her.”

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal service said they have recently discussed the issues with Rape Crisis and have made changes to ensure staff are allowed to accompany victims into court.

A spokesman said: “Victims of rape and other sexual crime are automatically entitled to certain special measures, namely a support person, a screen or to give evidence by CCTV link, which will allow a witness to give the best possible evidence and to reduce, as far as possible, the anxiety that involvement in court proceedings can raise.

“The primary agency facilitating supporters for witnesses at Court in recent years has been the Victim Sup-port Scotland, Witness Service.

“Their volunteers have been comprehensively trained in this role and the Courts are accustomed to dealing with them. The Crown have always been open to utilising other agencies if considered best placed to fulfil the role and support a witness in a particular case.

“We have been notified of a number of cases where the Courts displayed reluctance to grant applications for Rape Crisis staff to carry out this role and the Crown have discussed this at a national level with Rape Crisis Scotland and provided an assurance to them that there is no difficulty in principle, or indeed any legal bar, to their Rape Crisis Support and Advocacy Workers facilitating the role of court supporter for victims.”