Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has welcomed an additional £2m of Scottish Government Funding for Rape Crisis Scotland and Scottish Women’s Aid allowing sexual assault survivors and victims of domestic abuse to access the support they need, when they need it.
Fiona commented,
“Far too many women across West Lothian and Scotland suffer as a result of gender-based violence.
“According to West Lothian’s Health and Social Care Partnership Study into gender-based violence in the county, and as published in their Strategy Plan, 2020-21 saw 2,693 incidents of domestic abuse recorded, an increase of 18% when compared to the previous year.
“West Lothian also had a higher incident rate of domestic abuse recorded by Police Scotland per 10,000 head of population (126 compared with 115 nationally). The Strategy also recorded that there were 422 sexual crimes in West Lothian in 2019-20 an 8.2% increase from 2018-19 statistics. These figures are simply too high.
“This support, direct from the Scottish Government, is in addition to the £19m provided annually to support women through the Equally Safe Fund, designed and delivered to support women who have been victims of domestic abuse or sexual assault.
“The Scottish Government is rightly doing what it can to support victims and survivors, and is working to address underlying misogynistic attitudes and prejudices so that we can eradicate the abuse that so many women in West Lothian suffer from.”
Please see the below numbers of the frontline organisations who are there to help:
West Lothian Women’s Aid:
Call 01506 413 721
Our phone line is open Monday-Friday 9am-4pm
Outwith these hours if you need urgent advice please call the Scottish Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage helpline 08000271234
Rape Crisis Helpline:
08088 01 03 02 (Lines open 7 days from 6pm to midnight)
West Lothian Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Team (DASAT)
01506 281055
ENDS