Who we are
We are a unique collaborative project providing free legal information, advice, representation and advocacy support to self-identifying women in Scotland affected by violence and abuse. You can read our inclusion statement here.
Our Centre strives to fill the gaps that exist between women’s experiences of gender-based violence and their ability to access justice by working with specialist solicitors and experienced advocacy workers.
Informed by our direct work with victims/survivors of violence and abuse, we seek to influence national policy, research and training to improve processes and systems, and ultimately to improve justice outcomes for women who have experienced gender-based violence.
What do we mean by 'gender-based violence'?
Gender-based violence is a term that is used to describe crimes such as rape, domestic abuse, stalking, and forced marriage that are overwhelmingly but not exclusively carried out by men against women. It is a symptom of the historic and current inequalities of power that exist between men and women.
There's many ways in which gender based violence can cause harm. It can be physical, financial, emotional, sexual, or cause harm and suffering in other ways. What all forms of gender based violence have in common is that they stem from and reinforce gender inequality.
Some examples of gender-based violence include:
- rape or other sexual crimes
- domestic violence
- stalking
- forced marriage
- so-called 'honour' crimes
- sexual harassment
These crimes can happen in public or private life. Threats also count as forms of gender-based violence.
'Violence against women' is a term often used interchangeably with gender-based violence. This is because it is widely acknowledged that the majority of persons affected by gender-based violence are women and girls, as a result of unequal distribution of power in society between women and men.
Who is involved?
The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre is a collaboration between Rape Crisis Scotland, JustRight Scotland and the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic. Our core services are funded by the Justice Department of the Scottish Government, administered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. Our sexual harassment service is funded by Rosa's Justice and Equality Fund.
Development of SWRC
In 2019 we commissioned an external consultant to carry out an evaluation of the project with the aim of informing the future direction of our services and strategic impact. You can read a summary of the evaluation and its recommendations here.
