There has been an almost 10% rise in the number of people who were treated in sexual assault treatment units last year.
There are six sexual assault treatment units in Ireland, where people present after an attack.
They are located in hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Letterkenny, Mullingar and Waterford.
In 2017, there were 865 presentations at the six units - but this rose to 941 last year.
That is according to details released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The biggest increase of 17 % was in Mullingar Regional Hospital, where 203 sex assault victims were treated in 2018.
Some 94% of people treated in Ireland's six units last year were women, with 6% being men.
Noeline Blackwell is the chief executive of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
She says she is not surprised by the increase across the country.
"People are more ready to recognise that these are units which are specifically dedicated to dealing with victims of sexual assault.
"You don't have to referred there by the Gardaí, people don't even have to have an examination for court purposes there if they don't want to.
"But they certainly will get the medical help that they need".
Reporting by Eoghan Murphy
Main image: File photo of Mullingar Regional Hospital, which houses one of the sexual assault treatment units | Image: Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie
