Highest rate of contacts to rape crisis centre in 2024

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

Disclosures of sexual violence to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre last year reached the highest rate in the organisation's 46-year history, according to its latest annual report.
For the first time, there were over 20,000 contacts to the charity's 24-hour helpline.
High profile legal cases resulted in spikes in contacts when survivors of sexual violence spoke out, according to the report.
In total, 22,700 people contacted the charity's 24-hour helpline, which is a 22% increase on the number of calls in 2023.
While most of the callers made contact with the charity for the first time, repeat callers accounted for around one in three contacts.
Calls to counsellors staffing the helpline accounted for 19,653 of contacts while the remainder of people got in touch with the organisation through email, webchat, text messages and social media.
Therapy appointments increased by over 57% on the previous year and there were almost 6,000 counselling sessions with survivors.
More than half of new therapy clients, or 55%, had suffered other forms of violence in addition to sexual violence, including physical and psychological abuse, coercive control, spiking, trafficking, stalking and threats to kill.
In the report, the DRCC's Chief Executive Rachael Morrogh described staff as being "troubled and upset" to hear anecdotally of a growing number of clients who reference physical restraints being used by perpetrators as part of a sexual assault.
Therapy clients remained mostly female and although women are more likely to experience sexual violence than men, the DRCC said they "are overrepresented" among client numbers at 87%.
When it comes to the types of abuse disclosed, adult rape accounted for 37% followed by child sexual abuse at 28.7%.
Adult sexual assault accounted for 16%, unspecified abuse 16% and sexual harassment 2%.
Almost six in 10, or 57%, of those who contacted the helpline last year were in Dublin.
However, over four in 10, or 42%, said they were calling from outside the capital.
The highest number of contacts were made by people aged between 30 and 39 years old – accounting for 19.3%.
This cohort is followed by those aged between 40 and 49 at 19%, and those aged 50 - 59 years old at 18.7%.
Those aged between 24 and 29 years accounted for 16% of contacts, 15.8% were aged between 18 and 23 years and people aged between 60 and 69 years equated to 7.2%.
Some contacts sought or needed further information or support beyond Dublin Rape Crisis Centre services.
Most were referred to general practitioners, with that figure standing at 29%, followed by another counselling service at 14%, another rape crisis centre at 13% or An Garda Síochána or a specialised garda service, which accounted for 12%.
The report said 98 victims and survivors received support and information from the DRCC around courts, trials and other hearing processes last year, down from 100 the previous year.
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, who will launch the report this morning, has noted that historically, the crime of sexual violence has been underreported.
This, he said, is something that he is "committed to addressing".
He added that "something has been changing as complainants become more confident in our justice system".