Rape victims only have to “tick a box” and “put their name on it” to claim additional child benefit, the Scottish Conservative leader has said.

Under welfare reforms from the UK Government, women are only entitled to child benefit for their first two children.

Children conceived through rape are exempt from the limit but their mother must fill out a form and send it to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Opponents have labelled the form a ‘rape clause’ which victims must complete.

Ruth Davidson accused opponents of the policy of misleading the public over the exemption.

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In an interview with STV’s Scotland Tonight, Davidson said: “If there was better ways at doing that we should always look at them.

“The system which is in place does not require some of the things that people have said it does.

“It does not require women to fill out a multipage form; it is about making sure a third party does it for them.

“All they have got to do is tick a box and put their name on it.”

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Rape victims who wish to claim through the exemption must be able to provide the DWP with “any available evidence of a conviction for rape”, “any available evidence of an award made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme” or by a third-party professional giving testimony on their behalf “about the non-consensual act or coercive or controlling behaviour you experienced which relates to the conception of your child”.

Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale accused her Conservative opponent of trivialising rape.

She said: “It is absolutely sickening to watch Ruth Davidson defend the rape clause. To say this is a box ticking exercise is to trivialise the most horrifying of experiences a person can go through.

“Ruth Davidson is trying to pretend to Scots that she’s a different type of Tory – but this is the Nasty Party at its most vile. If Ruth Davidson is really as important to the Tory party as she is trying to claim, then this policy won’t make the Tory manifesto. “

SNP MP Alison Thewliss called on Davidson to stop acting as an “apologist” for the UK Government.

She said: “Ruth Davidson clearly doesn’t even understand her own party’s two-child cap and rape clause policy.

“It’s simply not true to say that women aren’t required to fill out a rape clause form – HMRC’s own website says as much.

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“Victims support groups and health professionals have been absolutely clear that it’s not their role to assess this trauma or to arbitrate over a rape claim – and the UK government have offered no training to the 660,000 potential third party assessors across the UK.

“Ruth Davidson should stop acting as an apologist for Theresa May – she should stand up to her boss on this issue instead of offering mealy-mouthed excuses for such an appalling policy.”

You can watch Ruth Davidson’s full interview on Scotland Tonight at 10.30pm on STV.