Sex abuse charity 'inundated'

A national charity which supports people who have experienced sexual violence says it has been inundated with requests for its services since the publication of the Ferns Report two weeks ago.

One in Four has been contacted by more than 250 new clients seeking general support in the past week alone, it said in a statement last night.

Its psychotherapy programme now has more than 80 people waiting to see a therapist.

The charity's website has seen more than 100 new registered users and website hits have increased by up to 400 per cent.

Speaking last night One in Four director Colm O'Gorman said: "Given that many of those contacting us have waited decades to seek such support, we wish to publicly express our determination that we will do our best to respond to their calls and contacts as soon as possible."

He added however that "the increased demand upon the service is presenting significant challenges" for the group.

"We are eager to ensure that each and every person seeking support is responded to promptly and appropriately.

"It is vital that every person who has picked up a phone to break silence and seek support be met with a response that is professional, compassionate and timely," he said.

The charity has referred callers to other services where appropriate and where such referral is possible.

"We hope to reply to each person who has contacted us in the coming week," Mr O'Gorman said, but he added that the "unprecedented demand, coupled with limited resources, has meant that we cannot respond as quickly as we would like to".