Rape Crisis Centre report
There were over 14,000 contacts with the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre National Helpline in 2019.
This is according to the charity's annual report.
Separately, in the past two months since lockdown was lifted, the number of people seeking help rose from three to 47.
There were 14,159 total contacts to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's National Helpline in 2019, up almost 6% from 2018.
The Charity has released its annual report today which also shows that 300 people were accompanied at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Dublin's Rotunda Hospital last year.
Today is the day - Join us at 3.30 (virtually) as we launch our 2019 Annual Report & statistics supplement #drccAR2019 pic.twitter.com/hJ8oVwKIei
— Dublin Rape Crisis (@DublinRCC) September 7, 2020
CEO of the DRCC, Noeline Blackwell, says a large proportion of people seeking help are under 30.
She also says many are reporting historic abuse:
“It is very hard to know,” she said. “We think it is probably a combination of both.
“We think there is more of a recognition by people that sexual assault is something that is down to you."
“It is not something that is something you are to blame for and therefore if you are hurt by it, you are entitled to reach out, to get the help you need and to hold somebody else to account for it, if they have done you harm.”
A separate report has examined the impact of Covid 19 on the work of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre,
There was an increase in reports of domestic Violence during peak lockdown.
Noeline Blackwell says the reporting of sexual violence usually comes later.
In 2019 the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre provided 120 training days for more than 1,600 people across a range of programmes and gave 69 talks in secondary schools and colleges.
