Universities should do more to combat date rape, the Fine Gael frontbench TD, Ms Frances Fitzgerald, said yesterday.
She was speaking after the launch of a national campaign aimed at helping women who are victims of violence.
The Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Mary Wallace, referred to the relatively low proportion of rapes reported to gardai. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre figures suggest only 25 per cent of women raped by boyfriends or relatives complain to the gardai.
Ms Fitzgerald said she believed universities needed to address the problem of date rape more vigorously. She had seen campaigns waged by American universities to combat date rape and would like to see the same at Irish universities.
The director of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Ms Olive Braiden, said that "the very small percentage of rapes reported is directly attributable to the fear of a legal process that is perceived to be confrontational, humiliating and ultimately unjust". She said sentencing has been inconsistent and called for a sentencing policy and rehabilitation programmes for convicted offenders.
In the campaign by the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, which is chaired by Ms Wallace, leaflets will be distributed through pharmacies, surgeries, women's health clinics and health board offices. They contain emergency numbers and information on local services available to women who are victims of violence.
"One in five Irish women experience violence at some stage of their lives," said Ms Wallace. "Such violence affects women of all social classes in both urban and rural settings."
A key objective of the campaign was to let victims know help was available. They also wanted to encourage the public to support their message that violence against women would not be tolerated.
Victims of violence can contact the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre on 1800 778888, Women's Aid on 1800 341900 or the National Net- work of Rape Crisis Centres at 091-563676.