What action it is taking to ensure that victims and survivors of rape and other serious sexual offences can have confidence that their case…

The safety and welfare of survivors is absolutely paramount, and we are committed to ensuring survivors and their families get the support they need.We recognise the key role that advocacy services play in helping victims come forward and engage with the justice process, like those co-ordinated by Rape Crisis Scotland, which is why we fully fund the National Advocacy Project. We have provided £2.17 Million per annum for this service for the period 2025-207 through the Victim Centred Approach Fund.Our NHS is another critical part of providing that support, providing care and forensic examinations in the days following an assault. There is a Sexual Assault Response Co-ordination Service (SARCS) in every health board area, including in each of the island health boards.The Scottish Government wants victims and survivors to report sexual crimes, including those that may have happened some time ago. This is against a backdrop of sexual crimes remaining heavily under-reported. Multiple factors will therefore lie behind the long-term increase in recorded sexual crime, including a greater willingness of victims to come forward, more historical reporting, more online offending and the impact of new legislation.We continue to take robust action to tackle sexual offending through the Equally Safe Strategy – focusing on prevention, improving our laws, and encouraging more victims to come forward.However, we know that sexual crime remains under-reported and that more needs to be done to support victims to report these terrible crimes and to improve their experience within the criminal justice system.Investigating rape and sexual offences remain one of the top priorities for Police Scotland, and specialist sexual offence liaison officers are available to support victims.The Scottish Government recognises the vital roles that police officers play in keeping communities safe. This year, we have increased police funding to over £1.7 billion, an increase of £81.5 million on the 2025-26 Autumn Budget Revision (ABR) budget, to deliver on its priorities including frontline service delivery.Operational policing decisions are for the Chief Constable who is accountable to the Scottish Police Authority
- not to Scottish Ministers. However, violence against women and girls is a key strand and tenet of Police Scotland’s 2030 vision and three-year business plan.