Why is it left to a Twitter account to monitor female-only services?

Women and Girls in Scotland @WG_Scotland

On 23rd July we wrote to Rape Crisis Scotland's network of providers, as @rapecrisisscot previously advised us to do, in order to ask whether they can offer their services on a female-only basis, & on 27th July we wrote to Scottish Women's Aid's network to ask the same.

We wrote to these providers to let them know we have offered advocacy services to women having difficulty finding the services they need on a female-only basis, including women on their waiting lists. We told them we have not managed to help all the women who contacted us - some were still too scared that they would be considered transphobic for even asking for support on a female-only basis, & this potentiality while seeking support & vulnerable was just too unbearable for them.

We know of women who accessed support elsewhere, but we also know of women who decided not to access any support at all. We made it clear that we were contacting these centres now, because the lack of clarity in this area is having a detrimental impact on women who need their services. We also shared @whywomen's report: showing the loss of female-only women's services adversely impacts survivors, particularly but not solely the most marginalised.

We made it clear that we were not asking that their services do not see men or boys, or trans people, we were only asking if their services can be accessed on a female-only basis by those women who need that, and how women can safely make these needs known to them in their first point of contact.

Our intention is to eventually produce a resource for survivors in Scotland, which makes clear where they can access female-only support. But since this is an urgent area, and procuring responses from every centre may take some time, we will update re individual providers on this thread as we are able to. Please note: we stated to providers that by 'female-only' provision, we also mean transwomen are precluded.

So far, several RCS providers have responded, but none have answered our questions yet, though we have had positive engagement on this issue and have been invited to engage further & will update on where we get to.

Dundee Women's Aid has confirmed it does *not* offer its services on a female-only basis (though we have followed this up with them in terms of their reading of the law in this area, & this may yet change).

Clacks Women's Aid has confirmed it does offer its services on a female-only basis, including refuge support, & a female will always be a first point of contact. This is a safe service for women who need female-only support.