Plans for Inverness to have more legal support for victims of abuse
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WOMEN seeking justice following sexual crimes and domestic abuse are to receive more support with a specialist legal surgery planned for Inverness.
One Highland charity alone revealed it receives 12,000 calls each year relating to rape or sexual abuse while it has just two part-time advocacy workers to help support women through the legal system.
But a new service, expected to be running within a few months, will help women to access justice after experiencing violence or abuse.
The project, which is still in very early stages, is being led by the Glasgow-based Scottish Women’s Rights Centre which is recruiting a specialist legal expert for the Highland capital.
The plans have been welcomed by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (Rasash).
The charity, set up five years ago, provides face-to-face support at its base in Inverness as well as outreach support to those who live within a 30-minute drive of the city but who cannot travel.
Moira Paton, manager of Rasash, said there were only two part-time workers providing independent advocacy and support for about 50 women across the Highlands.
“When you consider we take over 12,000 calls a year, there is a huge unmet need for support,” said Ms Paton, who felt the planned new service could be of great benefit to the area.
“The Civil Legal Aid Office does a good job but has limited resources and only deals with a few areas of the civil law.
“There are solicitors across the Highlands with a variety of expertise but it can be difficult to find one who can help in particular cases and is affordable.
“There can be conflicts of interest as they can only act for one party in a dispute and this can reduce the choice further.
“The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre has been able to provide one-off advice by telephone to women in the Highlands and this has been very useful and much appreciated.
“If they have a presence in Highland, they could presumably provide representation as well as advice.
“Women will have the confidence of knowing that the lawyers there will already be aware of and experienced in the issues women face in the legal system.”
The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre is a project bringing together the expertise of JustRight Scotland, Rape Crisis Scotland and the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.
It works with women affected by gender-based violence and improves their access to justice and experience of the legal processes they may require.
Funding from the Scottish Government through the Justice Fund and Scottish Legal Aid Board is enabling it to expand its services including the addition of surgeries in Inverness and Dundee to those already operating in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Lanarkshire.
The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre also runs a Scotland-wide helpline available three times a week.
