iStockA rape survivor says she is at “breaking point” due to a lack of support after Scotland’s largest rape crisis centre announced it had been forced to close waiting lists.
Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis (GCRC) said this week it was “truly heartbroken” to close waiting lists for two of its support services, as demand continues to increase.
The organisation said it had to act as funding from the Scottish Government has not kept pace with “unprecedented demand” for help from survivors.
GCRC said it was told of what it described as a “real-terms cut” to its funding last week.
The service said up to 1,522 survivors across the region may not be able to receive the specialist support they rely on following rape and sexual violence.
One survivor, who did not want to be named, told STV News that support after her assault last year was limited to six online sessions in the first 12 months.
Since September last year, due to staffing issues at a sexual assault referral centre, she says she has had no access to support and is at “breaking point”.
She says she has contacted local MSPs and ministers to raise the issue.
She told STV News: “After my assault, it took five months before I received any help. When it finally arrived, it was limited to online counselling, fewer than six sessions in the first year.
“Since September 2025, I have had no access to support at all because of a single staff absence at a sexual assault referral centre.
“This isn’t about blaming anyone, staff need protections, but it shows how fragile the system is, with no backup or continuity for survivors.
“Trauma makes it hard to ask for help, yet the support that exists often offers empathy but little practical guidance.”
She added: “I truly worry people aren’t surviving because the lack of support and continued stigma of discussing rape.
“If we take just a second to consider how uncomfortable that word makes the average person feel, it doesn’t begin to touch on how uncomfortable being a rape survivor feels.
“This is even more true when there is no safety net to provide real practical support unless you ‘go private’ which is something I’ve been advised many times.
“I shouldn’t need to pay for my emotional safety following a trauma that, with recent figures, is its own epidemic in Scotland.”
GCRC said it has written to equalities minister Kaukab Stewart on “numerous occasions”, but it had received “nothing but generic responses back”.
A letter sent to Stewart on Monday stated money allocated under the Government’s Delivering Equally Safe fund had “remained effectively static since 2021”.
Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre and the Star Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire and Arran also raised concerns in a letter which warned that with services already “under significant pressure”, they had “reached a point where the gap between need and resource is unsustainable”.
Hitting out at the Scottish Government, the directors of the three centres said it is now “extremely difficult to reconcile public commitments to tackling violence against women and girls with a budget that reduces the real-terms value of the very services designed to respond to it”.
First Minister John Swinney said the Government is working with the centre regarding its funding.
Speaking during a visit to Perth, the First Minister added that ministers will be “discussing those issues with them”.
It came as he insisted: “The Government is providing extensive funding for rape crisis centres around the country as part of our work to ensure that women who experience and suffer rape and sexual violence are able to be supported and access the support they require.”
Adding that support is “comprehensive around the country”, Swinney confirmed: “We are obviously engaged with the Glasgow Rape Crisis centre about the funding issues they have raised.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government remains steadfast in its commitment to preventing and eradicating all violence against women and girls, and addressing the underlying attitudes and systems that perpetuate it.
“We are looking closely at the immediate issue facing Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis.”
Information and general support can be accessed via the centre’s website here and its helpline service on 08088 00 00 14.
In addition, support can also be reached at:
National Rape Crisis Helpline (open 7 days a week from 5pm to midnight) – 08088 01 03 02
Sexual Assault Self-Referral Centre (SARC) Glasgow (open 24 hours, 7 days per week) – via 101 or directly 0800 148 88 88.
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