Ireland has the lowest level of conviction in the EU following allegations of rape, a new report to be published tomorrow will reveal.
Of all the cases studied between 1993 and 2002, just 1-2 per cent of cases in Ireland resulted in a conviction.
This puts Ireland well behind the next lowest EU average of 8 to 10 per cent in England, Scotland, Wales and Sweden.
The report, Rape: Still a Forgotten Issue, will be published at a conference in Dublin, which is being run by the Rape Crisis Network Ireland. The conference, titled Sexual Violence: Issues and Responses Across Europe, is being held in the Ormond Quay Hotel.
The report's author, Prof Liz Kelly CBE, director of the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit at London Metropolitan University, will tell delegates attrition in rape cases has risen all over Europe to an all-time high. Germany is the one exception of all the EU States studied by Prof Kelly.
The report defines attrition as the rate at which cases are withdrawn before reaching court, are not pursued by the DPP, or where a conviction is not secured for any other reason.
Prof Kelly said: "These findings should act as a wake-up call for anyone concerned with justice, equality and human rights, since at the most fundamental level - protection and redress for sexual violation - most states in Europe are currently failing their female citizens."
Ms Fiona Neary, national co-ordinator of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland, said the findings underline the need for more funding to be made available to groups supporting rape victims as they wait for their cases to come to court.
Ms Neary noted garda contact with victims was often poor, leading to a sense of isolation on the part of the victim and "a feeling that nothing is being done".
"We know that Ireland has a relatively good rate of conviction, once cases go to court. However, many cases do not make it as far as the stage of prosecution. The DPP decides not to proceed with a lot of cases."
She added the solution was not simply to proceed with more cases. The reasons for cases "falling out" of the system after they have been reported need to be studied. If more support were given to victims and greater emphasis were placed on garda liaison, many more cases would make it to court, she said.
Tomorrow's conference will address key topics relating to sexual violence, including trafficking, prostitution and pornography.
Speakers include Ms Jyoti Sanghera, adviser on trafficking and programme manager of the UN's Global Programme against Trafficking.
