Rape support centre breaks away from Rape Crisis Scotland over gender row

A Glasgow rape support centre has broken away from Rape Crisis Scotland amid an ongoing gender row.

Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis said it had split from the umbrella charity as its priority is to provide a single-sex service by an “all-female workforce”. The organisation said this priority was “at odds” with the national charity.

Last month Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Sandy Brindley was forced to apologise after another rape support centre in Edinburgh failed to provide single-sex spaces for 16 months.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland. | John Devlin/National World

At the time, Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre was run by trans woman Mridul Wadhwa, who has since resigned from the position.

In a statement, the Glasgow centre said: “After careful consideration, we have concluded that the interests of our organisation, and those that rely on our services, will be best served and represented outwith membership of Rape Crisis Scotland.

“As an independent operator, we will continue to work productively and collaboratively with our sister rape crisis centres. This is not a decision we have taken lightly.

“We have done so to hold fast to our principles and to best serve the women and girls that need our support.” The centre added: “We were created to provide support by and for women.

“We believe, and women have consistently told us, that single-sex services delivered by an all-female workforce are crucial to help them heal from sexual trauma.

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“This approach remains our priority, but is at odds with Rape Crisis Scotland.”

In response, Rape Crisis Scotland wished the Glasgow team well, with a statement saying: “Our member centres deliver services in a variety of ways, tailored to the needs of the communities they serve.

“What is fundamental across all rape crisis services is that survivors’ needs are at the centre of their provision.

Read more: How sexual abuse survivors like me were harmed by rape crisis centre's adherence to trans ideology

“All rape crisis centres must provide women-only spaces within their service, but how they define this is currently for individual centres to decide. Rape crisis centres can provide single-sex spaces within Rape Crisis Scotland - and many do.”

The breakaway decision comes after a damning review found Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre had failed to provide women-only spaces and that its former chief executive, Ms Wadhwa, had not acted professionally or understood the limits of her authority.

Eleven months after the review found safeguarding problems at the Edinburgh centre, Ms Brindley paused referrals to the facility.

Ms Wadhwa stood down from her role at the centre earlier this month following the review’s publication, but said there had been “no reason” for her not to be appointed as chief executive as she had significant experience of working in the sector.

The role Ms Wadhwa had was reserved for women only.

Under updated guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the definition of “women only” can include trans women who have a gender recognition certificate.

However, it is still legal to prevent a trans woman from applying for a women-only role if it is a “proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”.

READ MORE: Inside the Edinburgh Rape Crisis row: Why JK Rowling is urging chief executive Sandy Brindley to resign

There are still numerous calls for Ms Brindley to resign as head of Rape Crisis Scotland, including from author JK Rowling, who wrote to Ms Brindley saying some women had “self-excluded” from using the services available at Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre due to a trans woman staff member.

Rowling has since posted online about the Glasgow centre’s decision to break away from Rape Crisis Scotland, saying: “Glasgow has a single-sex rape crisis centre again.”

Previously Ms Brindley said: “What I would say is that most rape crisis centres in Scotland provide support to men, women, trans people and non-binary people. There is no inherent reason within that, that you could not have a trans person working within a rape crisis centre.

“I think what is crucial, however, is that if you do have a rape crisis service that is supporting all survivors is that there’s dedicated women-only spaces within that.”

Rachael Hamilton, deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis “deserve every credit” for taking a principled stance.

Deputy leader of the Scottish Conservatives Rachael Hamilton MSP. | Phil Wilkinson.

She said: “It is just common sense that rape crisis centres across Scotland should be a safe haven for women, but shamefully that has not been the case. The culture that became embedded within Rape Crisis Scotland was fostered by the SNP and meant that traumatised women have been repeatedly let down.

“Those running the organisation were more interested in imposing its militant ideological views upon staff and victims, rather than doing the right thing and supporting them.

“Even within the network of rape crisis centres, there is no confidence in the organisation’s leadership, who are totally disconnected from the concerns of women and girls.”

Ms Hamilton said this move should be a “catalyst” for change within Rape Crisis Scotland for the charity to regain women’s trust.