Covid-19: Reports of rape and child sex abuse rise sharply during pandemic
Rape Crisis Network Ireland data shows increase of 98% in number seeking counselling
The number of people reporting experiences of rape and child sex abuse increased sharply during the first four months of the coronavirus pandemic, new figures show. File photograph: Getty Images/iStockphoto
The number of people reporting experiences of rape and child sex abuse increased sharply during the first four months of the coronavirus pandemic, figures from the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) show.
The number of survivors contacting rape crisis centres for counselling was 98 per cent higher between March and the end of June than in the same period last year, the figures confirm. The number of calls to RCNI helplines increased by 23 per cent in the same period to more than 4,000.