The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre help self-identifying women aged 16 and over affected by violence and abuse by providing free legal information and advice through our helpline, legal surgeries and ongoing casework.
What you tell us and our advice to you is confidential. However, we might need to consider informing the police or other authorities if you tell us something where we think you are in danger, a child is in danger or if we think a crime is going to be committed. The advice provided by the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre Helpline is either provided by, or with supervision from, a qualified solicitor.
The SWRC Helpline is open on:
The Helpline is available to any woman in Scotland who has experienced or is experiencing gender based violence and is looking for information about their rights. More specific legal advice can be provided by a solicitor at a surgery.
It is free to call our helpline from most mobile phones and landlines. On request, we can arrange language interpreters.
The helpline can be extremely busy, please keep trying to get through. Due to the volume of calls we receive, we cannot respond to voicemails. Please see our resources before calling as there may be information that will assist you. If you have an urgent legal query and are not able to get through to our helpline, please seek alternative legal advice. The Law Society of Scotland has a database of solicitors available here.
In Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Stirling, and Edinburgh, we offer a surgery where appointments can be booked with our solicitor for legal information and advice. A trained support worker will be on hand if you wish to speak with her about the impact of your experience, how you are coping or how to access further support. Both centres are safe, women only spaces.
The Glasgow, Stirling, and Edinburgh surgeries run forthnightly and the Lanarkshire surgery runs monthly.
Find more information on your local surgery here.
Sometimes we are also able to provide free legal representation in cases where there is unmet or complex legal need, for example where a woman cannot afford a solicitor but is not eligible for legal aid. We would always have to consider the circumstances of the particular case, and our capacity.
If you are looking for representation read our take on process and apply through the form here.
The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre can also provide legal information and advice to professionals who support or advocate for women victim-survivors of gender based violence through our helpline.
