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Getting legal advice from our specialist sexual harassment solicitor

Illustration of woman looking at laptop while hugging her legs.

Every survivor will experience sexual harassment differently. And because of this, knowing what your rights are and finding out the legal steps you can take to protect yourself can feel daunting.

At the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre, we have a sexual harassment legal service specifically to support women in this situation. Our service is a safe and confidential space to speak to our specialist sexual harassment solicitor about the incidents you’ve experienced and find out how to use your rights.

New project to offer legal and advocacy support for women who sell or exchange sex affected by abuse or violence

The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) has announced today the launch of ‘RISE @ SWRC’, a short pilot project which offers judgement-free legal and advocacy support for women who sell or exchange sex in Scotland who have been impacted by any form of abuse or violence.

RISE @ SWRC —which stands for Rights, Information, Support and Engagement— will provide women with information about their rights as well as free and confidential legal and advocacy advice, and representation in civil justice processes.

CICA ‘Same Roof Rule’ claims – deadline approaching

If you experienced sexual abuse before 1 October 1979 you can now either apply or re-apply for Criminal Injuries Compensation (CICA).

You are eligible to apply if:

  • The abuse happened before 1 October 1979

and

  • You lived with the abuser as a family member.

Reporting stalking to the police – how to make the process more supportive

Illustration of a woman hugging her knees sitting on a big open hand, with a white cloud behind her.

Ten years ago, the law in Scotland recognised stalking as a crime for the first time, making it clear that stalkers can face legal consequences for their actions. What’s more, the legislation acknowledged that this type of abuse occurs over the course of two or more incidents and its purpose is to make the victim feel frightened, intimidated and isolated.

Since the law came into force in 2010, we’ve seen some positive efforts to tackle stalking in Scotland; for instance, there is growing awareness of this form of abuse and specialist victim support services have prioritised work on responding to survivors of stalking. At the same time, stalking continues to be an underreported crime.

10 facts about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Scotland

*We are grateful to The Women’s Support Project for their contribution to this blog

Image: #EndFGM

In the last decade there has been wider recognition of the impact that female genital mutilation (also known as FGM, ‘initiation’, ‘circumcision’, ‘rites of passage’, or ‘cutting’, among other names) can have on girls and women, and how common it is.

But what do we know about FGM in Scotland? In this blog we explore some facts about FGM, key aspects of the law, and the work needed to tackle this form of abuse.

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