Violence against women and girls deemed public health crisis by new alliance

Violence against women and girls must be treated as a public health crisis, an alliance of rape crisis centres has said.

The newly formed Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance (SRCA) said cases of rape and attempted rape have “soared”, adding there has been “no meaningful intervention to prevent these crimes”.

The group pledged it will “disrupt the status quo and to work towards a world where no woman or girl anywhere feels the threat of male violence”.

It comes after Police Scotland figures for 2025 showed sexual crimes were 10% higher than the previous year – rising from 14,539 to 16,029.

Cases of rape and attempted rape increased by 12% from 2024, the figures showed, from 2,785 to 3,118 – with this total 26% higher than it was in 2021.

In the wake of the “terrifying” increase, the four rape crisis centres – Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre, The Star Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire, and Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre – announced they had split from Rape Crisis Scotland and formed the new alliance.

The SRCA is now demanding violence against women and girls “is treated as a public health crisis, with prevention, accountability, and survivor-centred responses at its core”.

In an open letter to women and girls across Scotland, the founding members of the alliance said: “We promise to fight for our future and a Scotland where every woman and girl can grow up and live feeling safe, free and valued.”

Claudia Macdonald-Bruce, director of Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “We must be honest with ourselves, and especially with survivors. What we are doing as a country is not working.

“In fact, over time we have seen the slow and gradual erosion of the rights of women and girls to live in a society free of male violence. Rape and attempted rapes have soared, with no meaningful intervention to prevent these crimes.

“The SRCA exists to hold to account those who fail to protect the right of women and girls to live in safety, to feel confident walking the streets of our cities, and to know that things will get better for future generations.

“Words and well-meaning concern alone are not enough. The SRCA is built on the foundations of survivor-focused centres that aims to convert collective outrage into concrete, visible action that delivers real change for women and girls.”

Ms Macdonald-Bruce said the next Scottish government “must fully acknowledge the scale of this crisis and respond with the urgency and leadership it demands”.

Helen Provan, from Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre, said the groups had acted to “take back control of the conversation and the action required to keep women and girls safe”.

She added: “Drawing on our shared expertise and feminist values, we are committed to driving meaningful change, with survivors central to everything we do.

“As an alliance, we will continue to challenge and hold accountable those who fail in their duty to uphold every woman and girl’s right to live safely and free from violence.”

Isabelle Kerr, from The Star Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire, said: “Our concerns about protecting women and girls have fallen on deaf ears at times. Enough is enough.

“Scotland needs a reset in the way it prevents and treats such crimes.

“We need an honest national conversation about what’s working and what isn’t, and the courage to face uncomfortable truths instead of clinging to the status quo.

“The SRCA will do just that, and welcome constructive conversations from all corners.”

Angela McLennan, from Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre, said: “As a rape crisis centre serving several island communities, we are acutely aware of the unique pressures our service and survivors face, from geographic isolation and limited transport links to heightened visibility and constrained local resources.

“It is vital that national structures genuinely reflect the stark realities of frontline centres like ours.

“We’re proud to join the SRCA in solidarity and accountability to survivors, and to use our collective strength to ensure that the voices of local communities, including those in remote, rural and island areas, are heard when decisions impacting our centre are made.”