Only 28 per cent of victims of sexual crime in the past year reported the offence to the Garda, according to the latest statistics from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
The centre received 3,257 new callers between July 1999 to June 2000, with the majority of rape cases having occurred within the previous 12 months. The latest Garda crime report recorded 767 sexual offences in 1999 for the entire State.
Even accounting for variations, such as incomplete Garda statistics for late 1999, the figures show a continuing major reluctance to report sexual crimes.
Ms Geraldine Connolly, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's head of counselling, said this underreporting was of great concern.
Of the victims who reported sexual crime to the Garda, convictions followed in only 10 per cent of cases. More than a fifth of these cases were dropped, mainly because of a decision by the DPP not to proceed, according to Ms Connolly.
The centre's annual report also highlights a significant increase in the number of men using its services. In the past year, 19 per cent of callers to the centre's helpline were male, and 15 per cent of clients counselled at the Dublin centre were male. According to the Network of Rape Crisis Centres, the national average for male clients is between 10 and 12 per cent.
Ms Claire Collins, research consultant for the centre, said 41 per cent of male cases involved adult rape.
The numbers of people receiving counselling at the Dublin centre has not increased, as the centre is working at full capacity. For the past few years, it has been forced to refer some potential clients to other low-cost counselling services.
The latest figures also show rape by a known person happens much more frequently than rape by a stranger. Some 80 per cent of survivors of adult rape had been attacked by a known person. Almost one quarter of these attacks were perpetrated by husbands or boyfriends.
In the case of sexual abuse, 98 per cent of offences were caused by a known person. Ms Connolly said this was at odds with the media portrayal of rape as something which was perpetrated by a stranger on a dark night. After issuing its annual report, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre also appealed for more volunteers for its 24-hour helpline. Ms Connolly said there was an "immediate and pressing need" for new volunteers and that full training and support would be provided.
In the past year, the counselling line received 7,243 calls. However, the high level of hoax calls forced the centre to remove its freephone service from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. Instead, callers are given another telephone number to ring which is not a freephone number. This has succeeded in reducing the number of hoax callers.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is holding its annual flag days later this week - from Thursday, October 12th to Saturday 14th.
