A Woman’s Story
On 23 May 2016 we published a report of a woman’s personal experience of going through the policing and judicial system after being rape. In this powerful account, a woman tells of her sense of violation by how she was treated within the judicial process, and how devastated she was by the not proven verdict in her case.
We have been honoured to work together with a woman who has used our services on ‘A Woman’s Story: My Personal Experience of Going Through the Policing and Judicial System after being Raped’.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has taken the difficult decision to share her personal story with the public in the sincere hope that it can contribute to making a difference to the experiences of other individuals affected by sexual violence.
In her account she describes the trauma of rape, and her experience of police, health, justice and other services. A Woman’s Story in particular focuses on the institutional and individual responses from services and professionals which the woman experienced as supportive and compassionate, and which aided her recovery, and those which she experienced as less supportive and at worst re-traumatising.
It is the woman’s and our sincere hope that A Woman’s Story will be actively utilised by police, health, justice and other services to help inform policy, practice and training in relation to responding to individuals who have been affected by sexual violence.
Read our Centre Director, Caroline Burrell’s blog: A Woman’s Story.
Responses to the report:
Sandy Brindley, National Coordinator for Rape Crisis Scotland:
“Too many women have gone through experiences similar to that of the woman who has bravely written this story; too many women have told us that the experience of giving evidence in court felt at least as violating as the rape itself. This woman’s story is a call for change, and we hope that the new Scottish Parliament is willing to listen, and take action.”
Scotland’s Justice Secretary Michael Matheson:
“Improvements have been made in recent years, but this account makes it clear there is work to do.
“I’m grateful that she has shared her experience. It underlines that the Scottish Government needs to take further action to improve the way victimes of sexual offences are treated by the justice system.
“I would be happy to meet with her to hear what further measures she believes we should take to ensure that other women don’t have a similar experience.”
Assistant Chief Constable, Malcolm Graham:
“We are committed to continually improving our response to reports of rape and other sexual offences and to conducting rigorous and robust investigations.
“We work closely with a range of partners to improve the investigation of sexual offences including Rape Crisis Scotland, and their feedback has influenced the development of our services.
“Police Scotland’s Sexual Offences Liaison Officers (SOLO) go through enhanced interview training with an emphasis on treating people with empathy. Since last year, SOLO training includes the impact of trauma on individuals, delivered in partnership with NHS and Rape Crisis Scotland staff. Trauma training is now given to all police recruits as part of their initial training and is accessible to all other officers.
“We receive formal anonymised feedback from victims via Rape Crisis Scotland and as well as supporting our own improvement, we share this with partners including NHS, COPFS, Scottish Government and third sector partners to highlight concerns and improve service delivery. This includes sharing with partner agencies in the NHS in relation to forensic medical examinations.
“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Police Scotland now prepare a Victim Strategy tailored to every individual at the start of any rape investigation, outlining what support may be required to progress through the criminal justice system.
“We are also fully engaged with the National Advocacy Project launched earlier this year by Rape Crisis Scotland which provides support to survivors of sexual crime who have engaged or are considering engaging with the criminal justice system. Police Scotland works closely with dedicated Advocacy and Support workers in each Rape Crisis Centre across Scotland in order to provide the best possible service in a professional, supportive and sensitive manner.
“I have spoken to the author of this report and wish to thank her for sharing her experience. Powerful evidence like this helps to shape and continually improve our service. Her willingness to provide constructive feedback has given all services a positive opportunity to effect change in the future.
“Tackling sexual crime is a priority for Police Scotland, we want to encourage people to come forward. Victims of sexual crime can be confident that we will listen to them and investigate their report thoroughly, no matter how much time has passed.”
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service:
“Rape and all sexual crimes have been a high priority for the prosecution service for a number of years. The Crown has a specialist team of highly trained prosecutors who deal with rape and sexual crimes and a team dedicated solely to supporting and providing information to victims throughout the case.
“We continually strive to improve and develop our engagement with victims and witnesses to assist and support them through the prosecution process.
“Victims of these crimes now receive communications tailored to best suit their requirements following the introduction of the Victim strategy in 2014.
“We welcome the feedback provided and would be happy to meet with the victim in this case to identify any further improvements to our service.”