First Minister John Swinney is facing criticism from Rape Crisis Scotland over the perceived lack of concrete detail in his administration's plan to address violence against women and girls. The charity stated that while Swinney has promised "personal leadership" on the issue and pledged to introduce a Misogyny Bill, there is a "gap where clear funding commitments and timescales should be."
Swinney told lawmakers that he intended to confront "the sexism and misogyny that continue to harm women and girls" and that legislation would aim to "make early progress on the serious issue through a Misogyny Bill" designed to outlaw harassment and abuse based on misogyny. However, Rape Crisis Scotland chief executive Alev Taylor expressed concern that a "tangible crisis needs a tangible response," emphasizing the need for greater clarity on how the national response will function in practice for survivors and support services.
In addition to the concerns about the Misogyny Bill, the government has also been criticized for delays in establishing a long-planned sexual offenses court. This court was included in last year's Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform Act, which also saw the abolition of the not proven verdict.
Despite the legislative inclusion, a letter from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service revealed that no funding has yet been allocated for the specialized court. John Logue, chief executive of the service, informed lawmakers that "the challenge in implementation is one of funding, as to date no additional resource has been made available to operationalise the provisions of this Act with some, such as the Sexual Offences Court, being a sizeable commitment."
The government estimates the setup costs for the court, intended to allow faster proceedings and advance evidence submission for complainers, to be a minimum of £1.44 million, with annual running costs approaching £500,000. Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Stephen Kerr described this as "further damning evidence that victims are a complete afterthought for John Swinney’s government," urging Justice Secretary Neil Gray to "come clean and urgently explain why this funding has failed to materialise."
Lib Dem MSP Yi-pei Chou Turvey suggested the SNP's approach appeared "fundamentally superficial - warm words that grab headlines but go nowhere."
The Programme for Government stated the sexual offenses court would be established "over this parliament," which is scheduled to conclude in 2031. A government spokesperson affirmed commitment to introducing the court and stated that ministers are collaborating with justice partners on implementation and necessary resources. The spokesperson added that costs for the court are anticipated from the 2027/28 financial year onwards and noted that neither the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service nor the Crown Office sought funding for the 2026/27 financial year to support preparations.
