The State system of direct provision for asylum seekers and refugees is hampering efforts to counsel those who have been raped or sexually assaulted, according to the Galway Rape Crisis Centre.
A report published yesterday for the Galway centre by Labour Party president Michael D Higgins TD says that victims' feelings of powerlessness associated with sexual violence are being compounded by the psychological impact of direct provision.
Under this system, which has been heavily criticised by non-governmental organisations, asylum seekers and refugees are given full board and an allowance of €19.10 a week in prescribed accommodation and are not permitted to enter the workforce - even temporarily - while awaiting the outcome of their applications.
The Galway Rape Crisis Centre treats the highest proportion nationally of asylum seekers and refugees who have been victims of sexual violence in their country of origin, at just under 21 per cent of its client base.
Most of these clients are in direct provision accommodation in Galway, and the majority are from the Democratic Republic of Congo (28 per cent), followed by Somalia (11 per cent), Nigeria (10 per cent), eastern Europe and Angola (both 8 per cent).
Some 79 per cent of cases involve rape, 7 per cent relate to child sexual abuse and 5 per cent to slavery. Perpetrators in some 62 per cent of rape cases were armed forces in the country of origin.
The rape crisis centre report notes that the highest number of referrals come from refugee legal services, with significant number of referrals also from public health nurses, general practitioners and the Refugee Information Service. The service is perceived by a number of agencies as filling a gap in the western region.
The centre believes there is an urgent need to expand from a three-day to five-day clinic, to engage in further training, and to extend the service to new immigrants to Ireland. It also recognises a need to provide counselling for male survivors of sexual violence.
Commenting on the report's publication, Mr Higgins paid tribute to rape crisis centre staff members and noted that the "limited circumstances of direct provision" made it all the more difficult to meet the challenge involved. He called for statutory funding to allow the rape crisis centre's special clinic to be "mainstreamed".
Mr Higgins also called on Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan to reconsider his decision not to initiate an amnesty for asylum seekers and refugees who have been in the State for a particular length of time - similar to that introduced by the Dutch and Spanish governments.
The centre was founded in 1984 and has been providing counselling for asylum seekers and refugees since 2002. It established a dedicated clinic for this grouping in 2004/5 with support from the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Its report notes that rape crisis centres across the State are experiencing increasing numbers of asylum seekers seeking help - with 19 per cent of all clients in Sligo from this grouping and 16 per cent in Mayo.