Surge in demand yet funding is decreasing
Scotland’s largest Rape Crisis Centre has launched a manifesto for sustained action on rape and sexual violence.
Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre launched its manifesto, calling on all political parties to commit to meeting four urgent demands to end the crisis of rape and sexual violence, strengthen support for survivors, and reform justice across Glasgow & Clyde and the rest of Scotland.
Every day, the centre sees the impact of sexual violence on individuals, families, and communities.
Since 2021, demand for support at Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis Centre has climbed year-on-year, with nearly 3,100 survivors receiving one-to-one support from trauma-informed specialists in 2024‑25.
According to Rape Crisis Scotland’s most recent annual report, the centre supported over 3,000 survivors out of 9,942 across Scotland – almost one in three survivors nationally. Over the past year, the centre had more than 40,000 contact points with survivors served, ranging in age from 13 to 79, a 42% increase from the previous year.
This surge in demand comes alongside rising sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland, up 3% across Scotland and 13% in Glasgow alone. The increase reflects both the growing number of survivors seeking support and the critical role of the centre in guiding them through reporting sexual crimes, navigating the justice system, and accessing advocacy services to pursue justice amid court backlogs.
Claudia Macdonald-Bruce, director of Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “It’s time that the next Scottish Government redefined its approach to supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence. Thousands of women and girls rely on services like ours every year, yet funding remains short-term, insecure, and insufficient to meet the scale of need.
“The current system simply isn’t sustainable. Survivors deserve consistent, trauma-informed support to help them heal, access justice, and rebuild their lives and it’s the government’s responsibility to ensure those services are properly resourced.
“We need all political parties to commit to the four urgent demands set out in our manifesto. Every woman and every girl who has experienced rape or sexual violence must have access to the help she needs to secure emotional and physical support, and the justice she deserves.”
Since 2023 the centre has also operated its services in 19 different communities across Glasgow and Clyde, in its commitment to be where survivors need them. Especially those survivors who can’t get into the city centre of Glasgow easily due to cost or time. Or because it is unsafe to do so due to the circumstances they live within, often alongside their perpetrators. This is an unrivalled model across Scotland for rape crisis centres. But it comes at additional cost.
The centre currently receives £549,483 from the Scottish Government’s Delivering Equally Safe Fund for 2025‑26 and £171,000 from the Victim-Centred Approach Fund to provide advocacy support for survivors navigating the justice system. This latter fund, administered by Rape Crisis Scotland, represents just 8% of the total grant, despite GCRC serving over a fifth of Scotland’s female population and Glasgow accounting for 15% of sexual crimes recorded nationally.
Funding pressures have already had tangible effects: earlier this month, the centre temporarily paused referrals to its Justice Support to Report service, delivered through the Victim-Centred Approach Fund, due to limited funding, reopening only after securing alternative resources. To maintain current services, the centre will require an additional £500,000 in 2026‑27 across both funding streams.
Ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis is urging all political parties to commit to real, sustained action. The manifesto calls for:
- Long-term, sustainable funding for all Rape Crisis services.
- Collective action to tackle the root causes of sexual violence.
- Improved, trauma-informed responses for survivors across Scotland.
- Simplified reporting and stronger access to justice.
Macdonald-Bruce added: “We are working to create a society where women and girls are equal and free from all forms of sexual violence. We’ve being doing this since 1976. Almost fifty years later, against the rising levels of sexual violence, I know we will be needed for 50 more."
