Levels of violence accompanying rapes and sexual assaults in Ireland rose significantly in 2004, according to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's annual report, which was published today.
The centre's helpline counsellors and volunteers working in the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit at the Rotunda Hospital, noted a rise in violence accompanying rape and sexual assault, with some victims requiring hospitalisation.
The report also reveals the number of calls the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre received in relation to drug-assisted rape rose from 0.5 per cent in 2003 to 1.4 per cent in 2004.
Irene Bergin said while the centre's statistics for drug-assisted rape were consistent with those of other Rape Crisis centres around the country, there may be many more victims.
"Victims of this type of crime are often reluctant to report to gardaí or seek help because they fear they will not be believed, as their memories may be unclear," Ms Bergin said.
"We encourage victims of drug-assisted rape to contact our telephone helpline or their local Rape Crisis Centre for support. We also feel there is a need for a preventative campaign to alert people of all ages to the dangers of leaving drinks unattended in pubs and clubs."
Overall, 10,944 counselling calls were received by the centre's 24-hour helpline last year. Over 60 per cent of these calls related to adult rape and sexual assault while 37 per cent were associated with child sexual abuse.
In 70 per cent of calls to the helpline relating to rape, the victim had experienced the rape in the previous twelve months. Clients who sought help for rape committed recently were far more likely to report the rape to the Gardai.
Clients were also more likely to report rape or sexual assault to gardaí if the assailant was a stranger. Thirty-eight per cent of clients raped or assaulted by strangers reported the crime to authorities compared to just 27 per cent of those raped by relatives or boyfriends.
Breda Allen, chairperson of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the overall number of individuals reporting incidents of rape to gardai remains low; a situation she blames on the Irish legal system.
"The legal system is so victim unfriendly that it is stopping people from reporting rape," said Allen. "The only person that has to give evidence in court is the victim, the accused doesn't have too. The accused also gets access to all the available reports while victims usually don't. Victims also aren't allowed to choose their own legal representative."
In all, 4,750 people reported cases of rape to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in 2004 while official figures indicate that just 447 cases were reported to gardaí.
