A centre which provides legal advice and support for female victims of violence is to be expanded after receiving an extra £665,000 of Scottish Government funding.
The Scottish Women's Rights Centre (SWRC) will significantly increase its legal team to provide support in Glasgow, Lanarkshire and, for the first time, Dundee and the Highlands.
The centre is a partnership project between Rape Crisis Scotland, the University of Strathclyde and the Legal Services Agency, with students from the university's law clinic providing extra legal support.
The SWRC will employ a new full-time advocacy support worker, and its helpline will increase its hours.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "The Scottish Women's Rights Centre, which recently celebrated its first year of operation, is an excellent example of how drawing together many specialist groups can offer those who have suffered violence the widest range of advice and support needed.
"Different areas of Scotland have different needs, for example rural locations can have geographical barriers to accessing otherwise mainstream services, and this additional £665,000 funding will help us reach more women across Scotland."
Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women's Aid and a member of the SWRC's advisory group, said: "SWRC is an innovative, thinking-out-of-the-box response to the problem of women's lack of access to competent and affordable legal services when they experience domestic and/or sexual violence.
"Clearly this expansion out of the central belt allows us to look at the model in new settings, a very welcome development that will allow us to design services fit for women across Scotland."
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