Sarah Crawford

This is a unique service in Scotland made possible by funding from the Justice and Equality Fund — a fund administered by Rosa, the UK fund for women and girls, and set up by a group of women in the entertainment industry in response to the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

The SWRC’s sexual harassment legal service will focus on raising awareness and increasing the availability of specialist legal support through a weekly legal helpline, legal surgeries and legal representation.

In addition, it will also develop information resources, training and policy work around this issue.

The service will be run by Sarah Mennie, an employment lawyer with expertise in discrimination law and human rights.

Sandy Brindley, CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: “No-one should have to put up with inappropriate behaviour, it’s just not okay. We all have a right to feel safe in public, at home, in work and going about our daily lives, but for that to happen there needs to be much more accountability than there is at the moment.

“Having a solicitor focused specifically on sexual harassment at the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre is a massive step forward in helping to build a culture where sexual harassment is not tolerated, one where women can live their lives free from fear and harassment.”

Sarah Crawford, lead solicitor of the Scottish Women’s Rights Centre, said: “As has been highlighted in recent reports in the UK media, sexual harassment is prevalent in our society and more needs to be done to address it. We are delighted to be launching a specialist service to help women to tackle this insidious and deep-rooted problem.”