Rape victims being let down as Scotland lags behind with specialist units
RAPE victims are being let down as Scotland lags behind the rest of the UK in specialist units, Tories have warned.
Glasgow is the only place in Scotland with a dedicated facility for examining women
There are 43 sexual assault referral clinics south of the Border with victims no more than two hours away support.
But Glasgow is the only place in Scotland with a dedicated facility for examining women in a "clinical environment" rather than a police station.
It makes it easier for women to be examined by a female doctor, and links up access to support and trauma care. When the Sandyford Archway clinic was launched in 2007, it was billed as a "pilot" that could pave the way for other centres.
I know from speaking to victims just how beneficial the services at Archway are
But Conservatives said progress has stalled and demanded action from SNP ministers.
The party's equalities spokeswoman Annie Wells said: "It is very concerning that those who don't live in the Glasgow vicinity can't access facilities like these.
"I know from speaking to victims just how beneficial the services at Archway are, especially given victims can stay with the clinic from the start and right through as long as they need it.
Dedicated facilities make it easier for women to be examined by a female doctor
"What started as a pioneering project must continue elsewhere in the country - we cannot ignore methods that are shown to be working."
The call comes just weeks after the country's leading sex crimes officers revealed victims are being given intimate examinations by male doctors in outdated facilities.
Conservatives said progress has stalled
Sex crime officers revealed victims are being given intimate examinations by male doctors
Detective Superintendent Louise Raphael, outgoing head of Police Scotland's National Rape Task Force, criticised procedures.
She said women were still ushered into police stations and forensically examined in facilities from the 1980s, often by male doctors. The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.