The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has reported a marked increase in the number of immigrants seeking treatment for sexual assault.
It said today that immigrants accounted for 11 per cent of the people its volunteers accompanied to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda hospital in Dublin last year.
"In 2007, 36 of the 320 victims of rape and sexual assault accompanied to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin by the DRCC, were from over 11 different countries," said chief executive Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop.
"What we're really concerned about is that we know that only 10 per cent of people from Ireland report sexual assaults and there's even less likelihood that victims from other cultures will come forward," she added.
The DRCC has launched a new training programme and handbook for interpreters who work specifically in the area of rape and sexual assault. It has also issued an information leaflet in six different languages and has taken on new helpline volunteers from a number of countries in order to better respond to immigrants.
It said it is hoping to raise awareness of the services available to immigrants who have experienced sexual assault.
"Sexual assault is a very difficult crime to report because of the nature of the crime and the shame that it brings up in people. It is difficult enough for victims from our own culture who speak the same language to report such a crime and is obviously that much more difficult for people coming from other countries who face these difficulties and have the added obstacle of not knowing about the services available to them," said Ms O'Malley-Dunlop.
She added that many immigrants to Ireland are coming from situations where they have experienced multiple traumas, including sexual trauma and need to be able to access medical, legal and counselling services.
