JK Rowling has backed calls to protect single-sex support for women who have been the victims of rape, sexual assault or domestic violence.
A campaign by Sex Matters suggested policymakers were out of touch with the Scottish public on the issue.
The author shared her support for "life saving" female-only spaces, after a poll found 86 per cent of people believe women should have access to female-only services.
A report, named "Women’s services: A sector silenced", claims service users are being put at risk of being attacked by males in female spaces.
JK Rowling has backed calls to protect single-sex support for women who have been the victims of rape, sexual assault or domestic violence
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The review is based on interviews with 19 leaders in the sector from Scotland and the rest of the UK.
It comes after campaigners say advocates for female-only services are "routinely subjected to investigations, ostracisation, bullying and employment loss, and have been pressured into adopting policies that compromise women’s welfare and safety."
The report highlights Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, which is ran by transgender Mridul Wadhwa, who identifies as a woman.
She has previously been criticised after saying "bigoted" rape victims who did not want support from biological men should be "challenged" and "re-educated."
In response to the review, Rowling said: "Female-only support services can be life saving for women who've suffered domestic abuse and sexual violence. This report exposes the current silencing of sector leaders and the dire consequences for victims."
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The report calls on the Scottish Government to reform data-collection and reporting across the criminal justice system to be "accurate about sex."
In addition, it also piles on pressure for organisations to leave the controversial Stonewall Champions scheme.
Maya Forstater, executive director of Sex Matters, said: "The turmoil and crisis within the women’s sector that this report reveals comes back to the destruction of clarity in the law that was meant to protect women across the UK, including Scotland.
"This has happened because of the idea that people are whatever sex they say they are, which has created a hostile environment for organisations in the women’s sector that serve women who have been victims of male violence.
Campaigners say advocates for female-only services are 'routinely subjected to investigations, ostracisation, bullying and employment loss, and have been pressured into adopting policies that compromise women’s welfare and safety'
PA"The lack of clarity about the categories of ‘women’ and ‘men’ in law, which recent Scottish court cases have failed to resolve, has directly enabled the abuse of women and undermines women’s services.
"It is alarming and reprehensible that we are falling behind international standards by being in breach of the Istanbul Convention. Without a clear protected characteristic of sex, the Equality Act does not protect the interests of our most vulnerable women."
Rape Crisis Scotland told the BBC: "It is crucial that the life-saving support offered by rape crisis centres is available to trans and non-binary people.
"All rape crisis services in Scotland offer support to trans women and have done so for 15 years. There has not been a single incident of anyone abusing this.
"We continue to see the paths to equality for women and trans people are being deeply interconnected and dependent on shared efforts to dismantle systems of discrimination."
