Monday August 24th 2026
Photo by Vitaly Gariev
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Thousands of women and girls who have experienced rape or sexual violence face even longer waits for specialist support, according to a new report.
The ‘No time for delay: A call for urgent action for survivors of rape and sexual violence’ report by charity The Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) warns that its modelling shows that after 2028, thousands could be left without the help they need if current demand continues and funding remains unchanged.
The charity says the fact that rape survivors already must wait months for support is a “badge of shame”.
New analysis by the SRCA shows that based on current increases in rape and sexual violence, from April 2028 at least 683 women and girls could be waiting for emotional and therapeutic support, while up to 1,410 could be waiting for specialist advocacy support.
The projected waiting lists are a warning of what could happen if the current situation continues, with the SRCA calling for urgent action to address both immediate funding pressures and the longer-term crisis facing survivors.
The warning comes as Scotland faces record levels of sexual crime and increasing evidence of the changing nature of sexual violence, particularly its impact on young people and the growing role of online and technology-enabled harm.
– The latest Scottish Government statistics show that 16,430 sexual crimes were recorded by police in 2025-26. This is the highest level since comparable records began in 1971.
– Recorded rape and attempted rape rose by 11% in the past year and 72% over the last decade, reaching 3,229 offences. Of the 2,897 recent rapes and attempted rapes where victim sex could be determined, 95% involved female victims.
– The figures also show that sexual violence is increasingly taking place online. In 2025-26, an estimated 4,410 recorded sexual crimes had a cyber element, representing 27% of all recorded sexual crimes. At least 1,420 involved a person under 18.
The SRCA says the figures underline the need for Scotland to respond to sexual violence as a public health crisis, with prevention, early intervention, justice and specialist support working together as part of a long-term approach.
Against this backdrop, specialist rape crisis services are facing unprecedented demand. The report by SRCA indicates the scale of the capacity gap could grow substantially if the Scottish Government fails to increase funding for frontline services.
According to data for the four member services of the SRCA, a minimum of 2,275 women and girls could require emotional and therapeutic support, while the current funding settlement would enable them to support only 1,592, leaving at least 683 survivors waiting for help.
Advocacy services, which provide specialist trauma-informed support through police, medical and justice processes, could see as many as 3,300 women needing support, while services could collectively support around 1,980. This would leave up to 1,410 waiting.
SRCA says that it costs an average of £291 to support a survivor within its services.
To prevent lengthening waits for services and support, its modelling shows that a further £875,000 is required to 2028 from the Scottish Government.
SRCA said this investment is urgently needed to prevent waiting lists from growing, but that a short-term funding injection alone will not address the underlying pressures facing specialist services.
The SRCA is calling for the Scottish Government to use the Strategic Review as the mechanism for delivering the systemic and sustainable change needed, with a clear commitment to implementation included in the Programme for Government.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the report, Liz Curran who leads the work of the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance, said:
“A woman or girl who has been raped should not have to ask for help, only to be told to wait months for specialist support. It is a badge of shame on our society that we continue to retraumatise survivors through inadequate services.
“It is heartbreaking to tell a survivor that, after the trauma of sexual violence, she must wait months for the help she needs to recover and navigate what has happened.
“But it need not be this way. Scotland has the expertise and specialist services to support survivors. What frontline services lack is the capacity, investment and support from our politicians to meet growing demand.
“If Scotland is serious about ending violence against women and girls, it must be serious about supporting those who survive it. We need action now before projected waiting lists become reality.”
The SRCA is an alliance between Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre, The STAR Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire and Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre.
Collectively, the centres serve 12 local authority areas representing approximately 31% of Scotland’s female population.
In the latest annual reporting period, SRCA centres supported more than 4,300 women and girls affected by rape and sexual violence and delivered approximately 40% of national rape crisis support.
The report authors say the projected waiting lists are a warning, not an inevitability.
Liz Curran added:
“Scotland is at a crossroads, and the choice before us is stark. We can accept violence against women and girls as the new normal. We can bury our head in the sand and ignore the survivors who continue to suffer in silence whilst waiting for help. Or we can show the leadership needed to change it.
“We already have a blueprint for what sustainable change should look like through the Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning. What we need now is the political will to implement it. The Programme for Government must provide a clear commitment to take the recommendations forward and build a system that can meet the needs of survivors now and in the future.
“Scotland has an opportunity to match its ambition with action. Women and girls cannot afford to wait any longer.”
The SRCA is calling for:
– Sustained, multi-year investment in specialist rape crisis services, rather than funding that leaves organisations unable to plan for future demand.
– Implementation of the Strategic Review of Funding and Commissioning of Violence Against Women and Girls services, with clear commitments in the Programme for Government to deliver the systemic and sustainable change needed to meet long-term demand.
– Increased capacity for emotional and therapeutic support, so survivors can access specialist help when they need it rather than being left waiting for months.
– Sufficient funding for specialist advocacy, ensuring survivors can receive support and information when navigating the criminal justice system.
– A response that reflects the scale and changing nature of sexual violence, including the growing role of online and technology-enabled sexual harm.
– A survivor-centred approach to Scotland’s commitment to ending violence against women and girls, recognising that prevention, justice and specialist support must work together.
Click here for the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance’s new report ‘No time for delay: A call for urgent action for survivors of rape and sexual violence’.
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