Contacts with rape crisis centre helplines rise 7% on pre-pandemic levels

More than 11,400 contacts were made with six rape crisis centre helplines across Ireland last year, a 7 per cent increase on pre-pandemic figures, Rape Crisis Network Ireland’s (RCNI) latest report says.

Ten out of 12 months last year saw higher levels of contact with the helplines than in 2019.

RCNI’s statistics report for 2021, published on Monday, says that every month of last year saw a rise in the number of appointments fulfilled by rape crisis centres when compared with 2019.

The RCNI said the report examined data obtained over the past three years to “track the story of how survivors and services negotiated the upheaval of the Covid pandemic”.

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The report, comprising findings from seven rape crisis centres around the country, reveals that while 2020 saw a surge in contacts to centres, numbers in 2021 did not return to pre-pandemic levels. However, patterns of contact did change with a 27 per cent increase in the length of time spent on calls to helplines and an 18 per cent rise in appointments for counselling and support fulfilled.

The RCNI said while numbers of people seeking support after sexual violence continued to increase year on year, patterns of abuse remained the same.

Ninety-two per cent of survivors who contacted helplines were women and girls while 9 per cent were men and boys.

“A small number of survivors were transgender but the figures are too small to provide any detailed analysis on this group,” the RCNI said.

[ Lifting of Covid restrictions led to rise in rape and assault cases — report ]

The vast majority of perpetrators of sexual violence were men and boys (97 per cent) while vulnerability to sexual violence was greatest for both girls and boys when they were in childhood (44 per cent and 77 per cent respectively).

Girls’ vulnerability to sexual violence decreased as they grew into adulthood from 44 per cent to 40 per cent, but not as significantly as boys’ vulnerability (77 per cent to 14 per cent).

The vast majority of boys and men attending rape crisis centres in 2021 were subjected to sexual violence when they were under the age of 13.

Seven per cent of girls and women who disclosed being raped became pregnant as a result of the rape.

The vast majority of adult survivors disclosing abuse that was perpetrated over a number of years said the abuse had been carried out by their partner or ex-partner.

In cases of survivors of sexual violence who were subjected to violence by their partners or ex-partners, the median length of time between the beginning of the abuse and the start of counselling and support was five years.

Seven per cent of those attending rape crisis centres for counselling and support in 2021 had a disability of some kind, while 4 per cent were people seeking international protection under international human rights mechanisms.

Most were women from African countries between the ages of 30 and 39. “This group disclosed sexual violence perpetrated by multiple perpetrators more commonly than the general population of survivors,” the RCNI said. “The sexual violence was usually accompanied by greater levels of additional violence, in particular combinations of both physical and psychological/emotional violence than the general population of survivors.”

Five per cent of survivors attending rape crisis centres last year identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Dr Clíona Saidléar, RCNI executive director, said the Government’s zero tolerance national strategy to tackle domestic, sexual and gender-based violence set goals for professionals and agencies across society and Government to “engage and upskill in a concerted effort” to end sexual violence.

“Every community that is activated to end sexual violence places additional demand on the expertise and support of specialist sexual violence services such as rape crisis centres and the RCNI,” she said. “We welcome that demand and the opportunity to create change and that increased demand is evidenced here.

“We would also suggest that what we are seeing here is the success of the growing whole-of-community response. These vital supports must be State-funded to ensure both the success of the strategy, and nationwide and equitable access to services.”