THE Garda annual report for 1995 records a 43 per cent increase in the number of sexual crimes reported or known to the force:
. Rape of women rose from 184 cases in 1994 to 191 last year.
. Buggery of men rose from nine to 17 cases.
. Sexual assault of women rose from 381 to 604 cases.
. Aggravated sexual assaults were up from nine to 17 cases.
. Unlawful carnal knowledge of 15-17 year olds rose from six to 17 cases.
. Unlawful carnal knowledge of under 15 year olds rose from 12 to 23 cases.
. Gross indecency rose from one instance to 13 cases.
. Incest was down from 16 to 15 cases.
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said yesterday that only 28 per cent of the people who came through its doors seeking counselling in 1995 had reported the crime to the Garda. The figure suggests that while the Garda recorded 191 rapes of women last year, the true figure could be closer to 700.
Between 1993 and 1994 there was a nine per cent increase in sexual offences. When publishing the 1994 figures last year, the Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, had said the increase "gave cause for particular concern".
This year, with a 43 per cent increase to report, the Minister said she was "very concerned".
She said it was "not clear if this upward trend is a result of a real increase in the incidence of sexual crime or as a result of an increased tendency to report sexual crimes. It is likely that both factors have contributed to the increased statistics."
However, there is evidence that the "real increase" is a far more important factor than any increase in reporting. According to Ms Olive Braiden, director of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, reporting of sexual crime has been at about 23-24 per cent in recent years compared to the 28 per cent last year. This indicates that most of the increase in sexual crimes reported to the Garda in 1995 is due to more crimes taking place, rather than a trend towards more reporting.
The level of reporting to the Garda remains low because "women don't have confidence in the criminal justice system," Ms Braiden said yesterday.
"They don't believe they'll get justice, they don't believe they will be well treated," she said.
Of the 452 people who sought counselling at the centre last year, 90 per cent were women.
Ms Braiden said a new Garda sexual crimes unit in Dublin had helped women in the city, but comprehensive and continual straining for gardai throughout the State was needed, so they were aware of victims' needs.
She said the most important need was for women who had been raped or were victims of sexual assault to have their own legal representation in court. Under the current system they were only the prosecution's main witness, she said. "The needs of the State and the needs of the witness do not always coincide."
Ms Braiden said any consultation between the woman and the State's barrister tends to be brief, because barristers fear being accused of "coaching" the witness. In court the woman is "terrified of the process" and finds that the prosecution usually "presents" rather than "fights" the case, so that she may have to endure cross examination by the barrister for the accused without many intervention on her behalf by the State's barrister or the judge.
She also said there was a need for victims whose complaints did not lead to a court case to be told why the Director of Public Prosecutions did not proceed.
Ms Braiden said the centre found rapists tended to be more violent and carried out varying forms of rape during the one assault. She said this could be attributed in part to the availability of more violent and pornographic films, videos and publications.