Why I want to change the law on naming a child who died in a crime

The death of a child in a crime has far-reaching consequences, particularly for surviving siblings.

Instant press and more recently social media attention on top of the shock and grief can understandably be too much for families to bear.

Victim Support Scotland is spearheading a campaign to change the law which would grant anonymity to children who have been the victim of a homicide.

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Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said the change is necessary to prevent siblings and family members being even more distressed than they are already.

She said: “At the moment children who are victims of crimes such as assault are not named publicly, they have a right to anonymity.

“But we've got an unusual situation in Scotland, which is that if a child dies as a result of a crime, then they lose that right to anonymity and they're automatically named publicly.”

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This particular issue, she said, impacts on the immediate family.

“Because they've lost a child and they're having to deal with that,” she said.

"But they also have to deal with media attention, social media and often the photograph of their child is in the public domain which can have wide repercussions too.”

A major concern is that with victims able to be named and photographs published then brothers and sisters are also identifiable.

“That,” she said has a “massive impact and can be very traumatising”.

She adds: “Families can be caught off guard because they can find out information either in the press or on social media before they know about it officially from the police.”

Social media and the rise of the internet and the public producing content add to the impact that is felt from press and TV  attention.

Ms Wallace said: “If there are other siblings in the family it can make it really difficult for them because they just don't know when things are going to pop up.

“Another issue we're facing is the rise of true crime bloggers.

“There's a kind of new phenomenon around YouTube and homemade true crime podcast videos.

“A lot of that is popping up now in TikTok videos that people are making themselves on some of these crimes and the families we are supporting are finding it really distressing.”

The charity has the backing of many people in Scotland who have been impacted by public attention following the murder of a close relative.

They also have the support of another 15 charities who have all signed a letter to the First Minister, Humza Yousaf and Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, urging them to back the call.

Ms Wallace, added: “No one is anticipating a member of their family being murdered. Nobody can really be prepared for it, but all of the families we support tell us that they are absolutely, totally not prepared for the level of public and media scrutiny that they're under.”

The consequences, she said, can be isolation as families withdraw from society to avoid the attention.

While there is a recognition that there are media who are responsible there are others who have little or no respect for boundaries because technically what they are doing is legal.

The aim is to have the same clear rules that exist regarding living child victims of crime that would prevent any unwanted attention.

 Victim Support Scotland, as well as providing bereavement support offers help for victims and their families with the criminal justice system.

Ms Wallace said: “Because that's another area where families are completely often unprepared.”

The charity wants a victim-centred justice system that is trauma-informed.

She adds: “At the moment, there are many people who come forward to say that their experience of the justice system is more distressing than the experience of the crime and that is something that we take very seriously.

 “We’ve heard that a lot and you will have heard that from people who've experienced sexual crime who say their experience in the system is absolutely not geared up to provide them with the type of support and information that they need.”

The team provides support to people whether they have reported the crime to the police yet or not.

She adds: “It can be a crime that happened yesterday. It can be a crime that happened 50 years ago, that doesn't matter.”

The Victim Support helpline is open from Monday to Friday 8 till 8 and on Saturday morning.

Ms Wallace adds: “We've got teams providing support to victims all over Scotland and we also have people operating in the court helping victims if their case gets to court and they're providing evidence. It's free, confidential support.”

Domestic abuse and sexual crime are the most common cause of people contacting the service but it deals with many others.

Ms Wallace adds: “Anti-social behaviour, hate crime and also fraud, things like financial scams, and romance fraud recently as well.

 “It's quite a wide range and we will support anybody that comes forward and we absolutely recognise that the impact on people is very different.”

She said no one is excluded, adding: “If you're struggling and want to talk to somebody, then get in touch.”

Victim Support Scotland helpline 0800 160 1985