The Athlone and Midlands Rape Crisis Centre gets more than 1,000 calls a year, 82 per cent of which are from women, most of them reporting childhood sexual abuse. However, in recent times there has been a notable increase in the number of men contacting the centre.
"Before, men would have been much slower to come forward," said Ms Mary Allen, a spokeswoman for the centre's five-woman team of counsellors. "But partly because of increased coverage in the media, there is a greater awareness now that other men have been abused, and the taboo has shifted. These men would have felt a lot of self-blame, but now they are realising that the abuse was not their fault."
Initial telephone counselling is given, and then arrangements are made for crisis counselling if necessary. There is a five-month wait for long-term counselling.
A minority of calls are from women who have been raped, and they are taken for long-term counselling right away.
The centre has been in existence since 1994, and receives calls from Galway, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon and Westmeath.
There is also a growing number of young people under 18 telephoning: "We have to steer the under-18s to contact the health board, and unfortunately they are reluctant to do this," said Ms Allen.
"They are unsure about the health board's stand on mandatory reporting. They are afraid that they will be forced to name the person who has inflicted the abuse upon them.
"I'd be very concerned that this might send the abuse back under cover again. There is a need for huge sensitivity in this area. People who have been abused, who are now adults, should be consulted for their insights and advice as to what sort of approach is best. After all, they have experienced it themselves. The bottom line is that the process must be empowering for the victim. Otherwise, they will not come forward."
The freephone for the Athlone and Midlands Rape Crisis Centre is 1800-306600