Scottish Women’s Rights Centre

The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) works with women who have been affected by abuse and violence in Scotland with the aim of improving their access to justice and experience of the justice system.

The SWRC is an innovative collaborative project which brings together the expertise of JustRight Scotland with Rape Crisis Scotland and the University of Strathclyde Law Clinic.

We are informed by our direct work with victims/survivors of violence and abuse, and also seek to influence national policy, research and training to improve processes and systems to improve outcomes for women.

Go to Scottish Women’s Rights Centre website

What we do

We provide:

  • Free and confidential legal and advocacy helplines
  • Remote legal advice surgeries
  • Specialist legal representation and advocacy support
  • Policy work and research on a local, national and international level directly informed by the experiences of women contacting the SWRC
  • Legal guides and other information resources about women’s rights published online
  • Professional training for solicitors and support organisations working with victims/survivors of abuse

 

We are funded by:

Scottish Government logoScottish Legal Aid BoardJustice and Equality Fund


Resources

‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ and migrant women living with abuse

By Hanan El-Atrash In the UK, some migrants are subject to a condition called No Recourse to Public Funds or NRPF, which can have far reaching consequences for migrant women, particularly those living...

A joint statement on the Borders Bill “Not in our name”

In Scotland we have a proud history of protest, of raising our voices against the injustices that blight our society and speaking truth to power. We – the undersigned – are proud to work in a country ...

Civil Cases for Rape are Access to Justice

Civil Cases for Rape are Access to Justice, Not "Destruction of Justice" The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) and JustRight Scotland (JRS) are deeply concerned by the publication of the article in...

FGM: Breaking Down Barriers

Here are some things about Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) many people do not know: Women and girls in Scotland are at risk of FGM; This is not something that is based in any religion; and It is a...

Human Rights Act reform: we reject the UK Government proposals

  JustRight Scotland has rejected the UK Government plans to replace the Human Rights Act (HRA) as announced last December.  We have been working – together with other Scottish civil society and ...

Introducing our new social enterprise: JRS Knowhow 

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand new social enterprise JRS Knowhow. The start-up social enterprise was created in April 2021, marking almost exactly four years since JustRight Scotland was set...

Legal Opinion: What does the Nationality and Borders Bill mean for devolution in Scotland?

Sabrina Galella, Policy & Public Affairs Officer at JustRight Scotland.   JustRight Scotland and Scottish Refugee Council jointly commissioned a legal opinion from Christine O’Neill QC and her...

New Plan for Immigration Consultation: A Briefing for Scottish Civil Society Organisations

On 24 March 2021, the UK Government published its New Plan for Immigration, which sets out various proposals for changes to nationality, immigration and asylum law.  The consultation invites members of...

New Plan for Immigration Consultation: Our Response

On 24 March 2021, the UK Government published its New Plan for Immigration, which sets out various proposals for changes to nationality, immigration and asylum law. JustRight Scotland and our JustCitizens...

Press Release: AR v Stephen Daniel Coxen

Successful Civil Damages Action for Rape: AR v Stephen Daniel Coxen Friday, 5 October 2018 The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) and JustRight Scotland (JRS) welcome today’s judgment of Sheriff Weir...

Response to Independent Review on the Human Rights Act

We have submitted a response to the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), in response to its call for evidence which closed on 3 March 2021. Our submission makes it clear that we see ...

Scottish human rights organisations unite to reject “unnecessary, regressive and divisive” plans to replace Human Rights Act

Responding to the UK Government’s announcement today that it plans to replace the Human Rights Act, five leading Scottish human rights organisations have released a joint statement calling the proposals...

Scottish Women’s Rights Centre

We are delighted to announce that as of 1 October 2017, JustRight Scotland is the specialist legal provider for the Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC). The Scottish Women’s Rights Centre (SWRC) is ...

Stamping Out NRPF in Scotland

By Talat Yaqoob The news stories of the increasingly dangerous and dehumanising policies being considered by the Home Office have continued to dominate another week in the press. We know that these...

SWRC Inform: Contact and Residence Orders

Welcome to our final post in the series on Domestic Abuse and Scots Law – Training for Solicitors following our recent seminar by Helen Hughes. See our first two blog posts here and here. This blog...

SWRC Inform: Protective Orders

Welcome back to our series of blog posts on Domestic Abuse and Scots Law – Training for Solicitors following our first SWRC Inform seminar by Helen Hughes. In our last post, we looked at ‘What Solicitors...

SWRC Inform: Training for Solicitors

Last week we were delighted to host our first SWRC Inform seminar on Domestic Abuse and Scots Law – Training for Solicitors. The seminar provided delegates with the knowledge and practical tools –...

What Solicitors need to know about Domestic Abuse

Welcome to the first in our series of blog posts on our first SWRC Inform seminar Domestic Abuse and Scots Law – Training for Solicitors, delivered by Helen Hughes last week. Today we’re going to be...