Damning report highlights awful treatment of sexual assault victims

30 Mar 2017

A report from HMICS has given a damning assessment of the treatment of victims of sexual assault in Scotland.

The review looked into how victims of sexual crime receive medical attention while forensic evidence is also gathered for possible prosecution.

It found that the services offered in Scotland lagged way behind those in the rest of the UK, and highlighted an urgent need to find appropriate healthcare facilities for forensic medical examinations.

It also mentioned examples of some victims being asked not to wash for a day or more after an assault.

The Scottish Conservatives have said the report must act as a ‘wake-up call’ for the Scottish Government, and asked them to outline how they plan to improve services in the immediate future.

Scottish Conservative shadow justice secretary Douglas Ross MSP said:

“This is a damning report that gives us further insight into the appalling treatment received by victims of sexual assault.

“These individuals have already been through a traumatic experience, so for them to be treated in this manner is simply inexcusable.

“Examples highlighted in the report of victims being asked not to wash for over a day after an assault is cruel in the extreme, and the SNP need to use this as a wake-up call.

“When the facilities in Scotland are described as unacceptable and far worse than those in the rest of the UK, there is no excuse for the catalogue of failings in this report.

“If we don’t see improvements soon we risk seeing further examples of victims being let down when they need support the most and possibly deterred from reporting their assault.”

You can read the report here: http://www.hmics.org/publications/hmics-strategic-overview-provision-forensic-medical-services-victims-sexual-crime