Caught in a cycle of short-term, insecure income streams

Staff at Scotland’s largest rape crisis centre say services are at risk of closure unless the Scottish Government steps in urgently with additional funding.

Figures from Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis (GCRC) show that the number of women and girls seeking and accessing their services has increased year-on-year since 2021, with almost 3,100 survivors receiving one-to-one support from trauma informed specialists in 2024/25.

This coincides with a 3% increase in the number of sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland over the same period and a 13% increase in the city of Glasgow.

Last year, the rape crisis centre also recorded more than 40,000 contact points with survivors - a 42% increase from the previous year.  As well as the increased support survivors are requesting as they attempt to heal, this rise is also linked to the increased complexity survivors face in reporting a rape or sexual crime, navigating the justice system and the increased support they need to pursue justice in the face of court backlogs.

Claudia Macdonald-Bruce, director of Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “For the fourth consecutive year, demand for our services has continued to grow, yet we remain trapped in a cycle of short-term, insecure funding. That reality speaks volumes about the level of care and dignity currently afforded to women and girls, not just in our area, but across Scotland.

“Survivors of rape and sexual violence deserve far better. The thousands of women and girls we support need a clear and immediate commitment from government that services like ours will not just survive but be properly resourced to meet the scale of need.

“The current funding model is simply not sustainable, but this isn’t new information. The Scottish Government commissioned an independent review of the services and funding to tackle violence against women and girls, and the phased recommendations were made more than a year ago. So far, the government has failed to act and women and girls in our service area are paying the price.”

The youngest survivor supported by GCRC in the last year was aged just 13, and the oldest was aged 79.

Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis was allocated £549,483 from the Scottish Government’s Delivering Equally Safe Fund for 2025‑26. It receives £171,000 from the Scottish Government’s Victim-Centred Approach Fund to deliver advocacy support to survivors in the justice system. 

This fund is administered by Rape Crisis Scotland, and the allocation given to GCRC is around 8% of the total grant level.  This is despite GCRC serving over a fifth of Scotland’s overall female population, and Glasgow alone accounting for 15% of all sexual crimes reported in Scotland. 

The director of the centre insists that to continue providing its current support and advocacy services, the centre needs an additional £500,000 in 2026/27 across the Delivering Equally Safe and Victim-Centred Approach Funds. 

According to GCRC, funding constraints have already had an impact. Earlier this month, the rape crisis centre had to pause referrals to its Justice Support to Report* service due to lack of funding and have only been able to re-open the service after securing alternative income.

Macdonald-Bruce, added: “Women and girls in Scotland deserve to live free from the fear or experience of sexual violence, but without urgent and adequate investment, we are being forced to consider difficult and painful decisions about the future of our services.

“We continue to receive disproportionately low funding compared to the scale of demand for our services, and that’s before inflation and rising costs are considered. Survivors are being let down by an unjust and illogical system.

“We stand with survivors and will do all we can to ensure that the right advice and support is available, but we need the government’s help in ensuring that every woman and every girl who has experienced rape or sexual violence can access the help she needs to secure emotional and physical support, and the justice they deserve.”

Of all crimes reported to Police Scotland in the last year, sexual crimes account for 5% of the total.

The Scottish Government has been approached by TFN for a response.