Members' Business: Support for Rape Crisis Centres and Prosecutions

That the Parliament welcomes what it sees as the Scottish Government’s broad commitment to addressing violence against women and girls, which it set out in the strategy, Equally Safe; recognises the specific work that it has carried out to date to improve the justice system for victim-survivors of gender-based violence and the emphasis on ensuring that survivors of sexual violence are responded to sensitively and appropriately by the justice agencies; notes the recent change of policy by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on compelling reluctant complainers in rape cases to give evidence and what it sees as the significant opposition that this has attracted from charities that work directly with survivors; recognises the concerns of people who state that this change in policy could jeopardise both the wellbeing of survivors and their access to justice; notes the calls for the Lord Advocate to reconsider this policy and to engage with Rape Crisis Scotland to ensure that COPFS’s approach is informed by the needs and experiences of rape complainers, and further notes the calls for Police Scotland, COPFS and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to work with the Scottish Government and stakeholders to redouble their efforts in addressing the reasons that complainers feel unable to continue with the justice process and for the Scottish Government to ensure that all rape crisis centres in Lothian and across Scotland receive adequate and sustainable funding to facilitate survivor engagement with the criminal justice system and meet their support needs.