Hansard

I remind colleagues of my entry in the register of members’ interests: I used to work for a rape crisis centre.

We are here today to debate legislation that has the potential to transform how Scotland’s justice system treats those who have been harmed—in particular, survivors of rape, sexual assault and other serious offences. For too long, survivors have been asked to carry the heaviest burden: to repeat and relive their trauma in a system that was not designed with them in mind.

The Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill gives us a chance to shift that balance, which is not simply a matter of making small adjustments. It involves moving from a system that is centred on procedure to one that is centred on people—on those who have been harmed, on those who are asked to give evidence and on those who need the system to work fairly for them.

The foundations of the bill are the recommendations of Lady Dorrian’s review. That work was clear in showing that sexual offences cases are failing survivors, failing to protect dignity and failing to deliver consistent justice. The provisions on specialist courts, on trauma-informed judicial duties and on measures to reduce delay and retraumatisation all stem from Lady Dorrian’s recommendations. The Lord Advocate, too, has been clear that reform is necessary if prosecution is to be both effective and fair.

Third sector organisations have been vital in shaping the bill. Rape Crisis Scotland has reminded us that survivors experience the justice system not just as discrete hearings but as one long ordeal. Victim Support Scotland has said that the bill represents a landmark chance to embed trauma-informed practice and transparency. They and others have told us that the bill must shorten that ordeal, reduce retraumatisation and make support an active offer at every stage. I am very grateful for the contributions of all those organisations.

I welcome many of the bill’s provisions, including the statutory duty to act in a trauma-informed way, the stronger protections for complainers’ anonymity, the reforms to the victim notification scheme, the right to independent legal representation to oppose intrusive questioning on sexual history, the establishment of a sexual offences court and the abolition of the not proven verdict. Those are practical, evidence-based steps that reflect the principle that survivors must be treated with dignity.

However, let me be clear: the Scottish Greens believe that the bill should have gone further. Survivors need support from the moment that they report, not weeks later. That means providing properly resourced referral pathways, so that survivors know what support they can access, whether that is rape crisis or victim support services, legal advice or something else. It means embedding consistency across the country, so that a survivor in Shetland is offered the same level of support as someone in Glasgow. That support must be provided throughout the legal process and beyond. That is why I lodged amendments at stage 2 to extend the availability of advocacy, legal advice and legal representation.

We also need to be honest about resources. Legal reform without investment in specialist services risks leaving survivors with rights on paper but not in practice. A trauma-informed duty for judges must be matched by training, by court scheduling that avoids last-minute cancellations and by proper facilities in every sheriffdom.

We must remain ambitious. Lady Dorrian’s work showed us that specialist sexual offences courts are possible and necessary, but we must also ensure that they are resourced, staffed with trained judiciary and rolled out with urgency.

Reforming our justice system is not optional. Survivors have waited too long for change. The bill is a start, but we must not pretend that it is the end of the journey. The Scottish Greens support the bill, and we will continue to push for a justice system that is preventative, trauma informed and truly centred on those who have been harmed. Let us all commit today to legislation that makes a real difference. Let us choose compassion, dignity and justice for survivors.