Increase in calls to rape crisis centre

An increase of over 40 per cent in first-time callers to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre helpline last year has been attributed to the release of the Ryan and Murphy reports, its chief executive said this morning.

Speaking at the launch of the centre’s annual report today, Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop said there was a spike in first time callers in May and June after the Ryan report, which examined institutional child abuse, was published.

In November and December there was another spike in first-time callers after the Murphy report, which examined sexual abuse in the archdiocese in Dublin, came out.

Some cases related to incidents over 60 years ago that the callers had never spoken of to anyone, Ms O’Malley-Dunlop said.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre provides a national help line, counselling services, court accompaniment and legal advice for victims of sexual abuse. It was set up in 1979 and yesterday’s report was the centre’s 30th.

The report found the centre’s 24-hour helpline received over 14,000 calls in 2009 up by 12 per cent on 2008, and almost 11,000 calls were genuine. Some 82 per cent were from women and 18 per cent were from men.

Some 36 per cent of callers reported physical violence, psychological abuse and intimidation in addition to rape, sexual assault or child sexual abuse.

Minister for Health Mary Harney commended the centre for its good work. Asked if funding to the centre, of €1.1 million would be maintained, she said she intended to discuss the matter with the HSE.

“I think at a time when the volume of activity is on the increase, it would be foolish to reduce the level of funding to this organisation,” the Minister said. She said additional resources had been given for the helpline at the time of the Ryan and Murphy reports and she wanted to see that continue.