Victim Support Scotland (VSS) has responded to the Scottish Government’s findings of the consultation on Media Reporting on Child Homicide Victims.

The consultation was prompted last year after an open letter was issued by VSS and signed by 65 people who had been bereaved by crime, alongside 16 leading Scottish charities.

It called for the granting of automatic anonymity to child victims of murder or culpable homicide, considering the enduring and traumatic impact on their families and, in particular, surviving siblings.

The consultation findings showed a clear split between upholding the views of bereaved families and victim support organisations, and the views of media and legal bodies.

This response comes as VSS is marking Victims’ Awareness Week from 21-28 February. With the theme of ‘Listen. Act. Hope,’ VSS is encouraging people across Scotland to:

LISTEN to victims and their experiences
ACT and take this into consideration when progressing legislation, and by doing so provide
HOPE for people impacted by crime.

Kate Wallace, Chief Executive of Victim Support Scotland, commented:

“While we are disappointed that this is not the radical reform that families were hoping for, the consultation itself is an example of where the Scottish Government has listened to the experiences of families and taken action based on what they have said.

“The families who have been bereaved by murder or culpable homicide are the most important voices in this campaign, and we will continue to work with them to highlight the significant harm that is caused when their family members are identified in media articles without the family being able to choose.

“The consultation findings acknowledge the importance of the media’s role in reporting on cases within the public interest. Whilst we agree with this, and acknowledge this is a highly complex issue, we fundamentally disagree that the deceased family member should be identified without explicit consent from families. The harm that is caused, particularly for surviving sibling children who are then automatically identifiable, is simply too great. Victim Support Scotland hopes that this signifies the beginning of a wider conversation where we must do better.”