Nearly one sixth of Irish adults have been raped at some point in their life, according to a new report on sexual violence in Ireland.
The report from Trinity College and Maynooth University also finds that one-in-three Irish adults have experienced some form of sexual violence.
It is the first study on the prevalence of sexual violence in the Republic of Ireland since the landmark ‘Sexual Assault and Violence in Ireland’ (SAVI) report 18 years ago.
On Breakfast Briefing with Shane Beatty this morning, the CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Noeline Blackwell said Ireland is facing an epidemic of sexual violence.
“An epidemic, as we all know now, is where something runs through the population unchecked and is not prevented,” she said.
So, the very fact that another study is showing the level at which rape and other sexual violence happen against women and that that simply reflects what was also happening 20 years ago when the last big study was done, shows that we really have a very serious problem that has not been addressed.
“The trouble with sexual violence is that it is truly harmful. It really damages people who suffer it and part of our problem in society right now is that we tolerate it.
“We don’t tolerate measles; we don’t tolerate HIV aids; we don’t tolerate other things that could be epidemics but we tolerate sexual violence in a way that is not acceptable.”
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO Noeline Blackwell. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ieThe latest report was based on interviews with a nationally representative sample of over 1,000 Irish adults.
Half the women included in the study said they had experienced some form of sexual violence compared to approximately one-in-five men.
Meanwhile, 15% of respondents said they had been raped in their lifetime - one-in-five women, compared to one-in-ten men.
Spoke to @ShaneBeattyNews abt importance of @UN day against #ViolenceAgainstWomen today & action against what Govt labels 'an epidemic' of harmful sexual & domestic violence can give us a safer & more equal world - a winnable war. @DublinRCC #16DaysofActivism2020 #16stats https://t.co/0DtJLFIsBp
— Noeline Blackwell (@Noeline_B) November 25, 2020
Ms Blackwell said there are a range of actions that need to be taken to reduce sexual violence and protect survivors.
“First of all, where it happens, we need to ensure there are sufficient healing services for people because harm has been done and the best way of dealing with the harm is to treat it quickly and effectively,” she said. “And we are way behind on that.
“The kind of therapeutic help that people normally need after sexual violence of some sort is a form of mental health service and our mental health services are absolutely inadequate at the moment to meet the need.
“The second thing is people should just stop doing it. People should stop raping people; people should stop sexually harassing people; people should stop sharing images they know they have no business sharing.
“As a society, we really have to understand that non-consensual sexual activity is wrong and harmful and we should stop doing it.
“Thirdly, turning to another story that is in the news today as well, our education systems for our young people are woefully inadequate. Our consent programmes have not changed since 1999 when the internet was only a baby and when nobody had smart phones.”
Consent
She said Ireland must aim to become a “healthy, safe society where everyone is respected and where all sexual activity is consensual.”
“So, because it is an epidemic, we have to attack it across a number of fronts,” she said. “But it is a winnable war.”
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