Four rape crisis centres in the west of Scotland have formed a new alliance to campaign against sexual violence against women and girls.
The new group, called the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance, was launched on Tuesday, 10th March 2026 by Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, Lanarkshire Rape Crisis Centre, The STAR Centre – Rape Crisis Ayrshire and Western Isles Rape Crisis Centre.
The centres say they have come together in response to what they describe as a growing crisis and a lack of action to protect women and girls.
The alliance said recent Police Scotland figures show reports of rape and attempted rape in Scotland rose by 12% over the past year. It said reported cases have increased by 26% since 2021.
The new group will campaign for violence against women and girls to be treated as a public health issue. That means seeing it not just as a criminal justice matter, but as a wider problem affecting health, safety and society.
The centres say the alliance will push for long-term funding, stronger prevention work and better support for survivors. Each member centre will continue to operate independently while working together on national campaigning and policy.
In an open letter, the four founding centres said: “We deserve safety not as a privilege, but as a fundamental human right.” They added that women and girls should not have to live with “the threat, and too often the reality, of rape and sexual violence.”
Claudia Macdonald-Bruce, director of Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis, said: “We must be honest with ourselves, and especially with survivors. What we are doing as a country is not working.
“In fact, over time we have seen the slow and gradual erosion of the rights of women and girls to live in a society free of male violence. Rape and attempted rapes have soared, with no meaningful intervention to prevent these crimes.
“The next government must fully acknowledge the scale of this crisis and respond with the urgency and leadership it demands.”
The alliance said its four founding members supported 4,393 survivors over the last year.
Headline photo: (Left to right) Helen Provan, Katie Cosgrove, Claudia Macdonald Bruce and Lainey McKinlay at the launch of the Scottish Rape Crisis Alliance in Glasgow