Concern over increase in violent sex assaults on women

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has expressed "grave concern" at increased levels of serious violence accompanying rape and sexual assaults.

Speaking at the publication of the centre's annual report yesterday, chief executive Irene Bergin said volunteers working at the sexual assault treatment unit at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin "have also reported disturbing levels of violence being experienced by victims".

"This is a worrying trend," she said. The violence had frequently resulted in the women being hospitalised, she added.

The statistics also show the proportion of rape victims who reported to gardaí had fallen, from 30 per cent in 2003 to 25 per cent last year.

Almost one fifth (19 per cent) of callers to the crisis line were aged 17 or younger.

"Of these, 16 per cent were aged 15 to 17 years of age," said clinical director Angela McCarthy.

She said the centre was constrained in helping these young people due to the legal requirement that it could only offer them counselling with their parents' or guardians' consent. The teenagers may be reluctant to tell their guardians they had been raped or sexually assaulted.

"We are aware that many young people are struggling to survive these experiences without professional help," said Ms McCarthy. The centre had been liaising with other service providers, such as Children At Risk in Ireland (Cari), and planned further discussions in the autumn, "to explore the complex issues involved in offering a comprehensive service to teenagers".

The statistics also show a "significant" increase in the number of calls to the crisis helpline about drug-assisted rape, from 0.3 per cent of all calls in 2003 to 1.4 per cent last year.

The centre had 10,944 genuine calls to its helpline last year, compared with 11,863 in 2003. Some 53 per cent of these were about adult rape and 7 per cent about adult sexual assault.

Eighty-eight per cent of the calls were from women and 12 per cent from men.

Ms McCarthy said the centre wanted to stress that it was not a female-only service and she hoped more men would feel free to seek help there.

The centre saw 610 clients at its counselling service. Some 49 per cent of them were dealing with adult rape, 38 per cent with past child sexual abuse, 9 per cent with adult sexual assault, 0.6 per cent with sexual harassment, 2.5 per cent with drug rape and 0.6 per cent with ritual abuse.

Of those who had been sexually abused as a child, 96.5 per cent had known the abuser. The highest proportion were abused by either father (20 per cent) or other male relative not their brother (20 per cent).

Speaking at yesterday's publication Minister of State for Justice Frank Fahey said funding for services to victims of sexual violence was an issue that had concerned him "for some time".

He had established an inter-departmental group to examine the issue and he would recommend to Government that the group's findings be implemented. He hoped this would happen before the end of the year.

He also said research was being carried out at NUI Galway, into why so few women report rape and why fewer proceed with their cases to court.

"It is essential we act on its findings so that the State can prosecute the criminals who cause such devastation," he said.