A guide to help survivors of sexual violence navigate the criminal justice system has been released.
Rape Crisis Scotland created the video guide featuring key people that survivors will come into contact with during the justice process.
This includes a specially trained police officer, a rape crisis advocacy worker, a Procurator Fiscal, a defence lawyer, an advocate for the prosecution and a judge.
Funded by the Scottish Government, the video is a comprehensive guide to a system that many survivors describe as complex and disorientating.
It sets out clearly each stage of the process, who is involved and what their role is. It is hoped that – in addition to ongoing work to improve the justice system for survivors of sexual violence – the video will increase access to justice for crimes that are widely underreported.
Survivor Hannah said: “In my case the experience of the Criminal Justice System was more damaging to the assault itself.
“I pursued justice with the realistic knowledge that a conviction was near impossible and that I would have to live under the shadow of a trial for a long period of time. There was no way of preparing for the disappointed and mental consequences of what I experienced during that time.
“I am grateful that we have been presented with this opportunity to voice our opinions in the hopes of improving experiences of those who come after us.”
Sandy Brindley from Rape Crisis Scotland added: “There’s no silver bullet when it comes to addressing the issues survivors experience within the Criminal Justice System, and even though there has been significant effort and improvements in recent years, we should be in no doubt that there is much more to do.
“Rape Crisis have always and will always support survivors whether they choose to report or not, but we believe that knowledge is power and are glad to be relaunching this video and demystifying the justice process.
“We’re pleased that the Cabinet Secretary and Lord Advocate have set aside the time to meet directly with from those who have experience of seeking justice, and we hope their voices are heard.”
