New Chair appointed to DRCC Board

04 July 2024

Anne Marie James

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has announced the appointment of Anne Marie James as its new Chair. Ms James takes over from Ann Marie Gill, who has chaired the organisation’s Board of Directors since 2015 and completed her term at the end of June at the recent launch of its Annual Report for 2023.

Anne Marie has been a member of the board of DRCC since 2019. She is a practicing solicitor and is Managing Partner at Kirwan McKeown James Solicitors.

Alongside her practice, she has campaigned on a range of social issues such as the Repeal of the 8th Amendment, Marriage Equality and the implementation of the Istanbul Convention. She has also been a consistent advocate for advancing the legal rights of victims and the need for judicial training in the area of sexual and domestic violence.

Anne Marie was previously a member of the board of the Ark, a cultural centre for children. She is a member of the Institute of Directors and a mentor for young professional female lawyers as part of the Law Society of Ireland mentoring programme.

Welcoming the appointment, CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Rachel Morrogh said, “I am delighted that Anne Marie James has begun her term as Chair. She has considerable governance experience and is a passionate advocate for victims of sexual violence. I am looking forward to working alongside her and the rest of the Board to deliver Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s work on preventing the harm and healing the trauma of sexual violence in the coming years.”

Commenting, Anne Marie James said: “As incoming Chair, I wish to commend my predecessor, Ann Marie Gill, for her commitment to the organisation, and the energy she brought to the role. I look forward to working closely with the Board, our CEO Rachel Morrogh and the staff and volunteers of DRCC.

“It is my intention to continue to build on the progress made by DRCC advocating for victims of sexual crimes. We have campaigned for improvements to the legal rights of victims, campaigned for judicial training and increased resources from the state to help victims.

“Ireland still does not adequately serve victims of sexual violence; victims and survivors still face severe stigmatisation and re-traumatisation. A cultural shift is needed which can only be delivered through changes in legislation, greater societal awareness, currently being driven by DRCC’s We-Consent campaign, and more emphasis on education.”

Confidential freephone 24-hour National Rape Crisis Helpline 1800 778888

 

/ENDS

Notes for editors:  

  1. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre is a non-governmental, voluntary organisation which has as its mission to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of rape. It offers a suite of services to victims/survivors of sexual violence. It also offers a wide range of training and education to professionals and volunteers. 
  2. Other DRCC services and work: 
  • DRCC operates the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 778888 to support anyone affected by sexual violence in any part of the country. A webchat support service is available online at drcc.ie Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. A Helpline Interpreting Service is available for those who do not speak English - more at https://bit.ly/DRCClang
  • For those contacting the Helpline who are deaf or hard of hearing, we provide a text service, operating Mon-Fri from 8am to 6:30pm, at 086-8238443 and we also have a webchat serviceavailable Monday-Friday, 10am to 5pm, except holidays.
  • Information on your options after sexual violence is available for free online at any time at www.drcc.ie/fyw in the Finding Your Way after Sexual Violence guide.
  • DRCC offers counselling & therapy to adult survivors of sexual violence and to older adolescents from 16 years of age with parental/guardian consent.
  • DRCC provides accompaniment support for the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit, to court or to Garda stations to people in Dublin and in surrounding areas, by arrangement.   
  • We-Consent is a new long-term national programme to inform, educate and engage with all members of our society about consent. More information and resources on having consent conversations at https://www.we-consent.ie/
  • DRCC has outreach offices at Coolock, Dóchas Women’s Centre, Balbriggan & Tallaght. Access to these services must be arranged via the National Helpline 1800 778888 during working hours, Mon-Fri.   

3. We ask that when reporting on this topic, journalists should remember that discussions on sexual violence can trigger personal trauma in those receiving the information. Where possible, please make reference to the National 24-hour Helpline 1800 77 88 88  for anyone who may be affected by the discussion.