Press Release: Launch of DRCC’s Annual Report 2012

24 July 2013

Launch of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s Annual Report

and Statistics 2012

By Mr. Alan Shatter, TD

Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence

260 victims of recent rape and sexual assault were accompanied by trained DRCC Volunteers at the Rotunda Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in 2012
There was an increase of 23% in first time callers to the National 24-hour Helpline, operated by DRCC, since 2010
There has been a 7% increase in calls from victims of adult sexual violence since 2009

Today, Dr. Frances Gardiner, Chairperson of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) introduced its Annual Report and Annual Statistics 2012 and said:

“The Annual Report of the DRCC outlines the range and diversity of the Centre’s services and how departments valiantly strove to fulfil their mandate despite the challenge of shrinking resources in 2012. The DRCC’s National Awareness Raising Campaign supported by Cosc and which is now in its fifth year, has proved effective in reaching a wide audience. However analysis of figures confirms how unrelenting the sinister world of sexual crime is, traumatising men and women in its wake.

The statistics in DRCC’s Annual Report 2012 are indeed shocking. It is crucial that victims can be confident that professional help is available to them at a time of deep personal trauma. This is not a time to cut funding to Rape Crisis Centres.”

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre 2012 Statistics:

12,040 contacts were handled by the DRCC’s National 24-Hour Helpline.
9,142 were genuine counselling calls.
4,046 calls were first time contacts. There was an increase of 23% compared with first-time calls in 2010.
83% of callers were female and 17 % of callers were male.
4647 repeat contacts were received, an increase of 6% on 2011.
- 44% of calls related to adult rape.
- 8% of calls related to adult sexual assault.
- 54% of calls related to adult sexual violence, (including rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and trafficking.
- 45 % of calls related to childhood sexual abuse, including suspected abuse.
- 67 calls from adults related to concerns regarding sexualised behaviour of children under 13.
- 71% of callers were from the Dublin areas, while 29 % were from other counties.
- 96% of callers were of Irish nationality, 4 % of calls were from non-Irish nationals.
- 54 different nationalities contacted the Helpline in 2012.
- 260 victims of rape and sexual assault were accompanied by DRCC’ s trained volunteers to the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in the Rotunda Hospital

Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, CEO of DRCC said “Since the recession there has been a disturbing year on year increase in calls to the National 24 Hour Helpline from victims of adult sexual violence. There has been a 23% increase in first time callers, between 2009 and 2012. In 2012, 54% of calls to the helpline related to adult sexual violence. 41% of sexual abuse incidents disclosed by 322 new clients in 2012 included other forms of violence, such as physical and psychological abuse, intimidation and threats to kill. This reflects what we know from international research, that sexual violence and violence against women in particular, increases in times of economic recession.

In 2012, DRCC has collaborated with a number of relevant statutory agencies including the new Child and Family Agency elect, the HSE, and the Gardai and with the Voluntary and Community Sector, in delivering a professional, evidenced based, value for money service to victims of rape and sexual abuse and their families This is not a time to cut funding to frontline services like the DRCC.”

Counselling and Psychotherapy Services

Client profile

557 clients were seen for individual counselling in 2012, an increase of 4 % on 2011.

There was a 6% increase in new clients.

12 % of clients were male and 88% were female.

79% were from the greater Dublin area, while 21% were from 17 other counties.

86% of clients were Irish, while 14 % were of 32 other nationalities. (Interpreting services were provided by DRCC for non-English speaking clients)

54 % of clients were victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA)

46 % of clients were victims of adult rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment.

Of 413 incidents of rape, sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse disclosed by 322 new clients to the centre in 2012, 41% included other types of violence along with the main type of abuse

19 % of all incidents of adult rape or sexual assault included additional violence. Each incident of abuse can have multiple types of violence.

The predominant five types of violence disclosed in cases of adult rape/sexual assault were physical abuse (46%), psychological abuse (15%), harassment or intimidation (10%) , threat to kill (13 %) and imprisonment (6%).

In 22 % of all incidents of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) additional types of violence were also disclosed.

The predominant five types of violence disclosed in cases of CSA were physical abuse (22%), psychological abuse (31%), harassment or intimidation (22%), threat to kill (10%) and attempt to kill (3%)

Service delivery

5034 individual appointments were made available by the therapy team in 2012, compared with 4, 910 in 2011, an increase of 3%.

Of these, 3885 individual appointments were delivered in 2012.

Of the 3,885 appointments delivered, 25% were crisis appointments for men and women who had experienced recent rape or sexual assault i.e. within the past six months. 75% were assessment appointments for past rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment and CSA.

In 2012, 11 therapists offered crisis counselling and long-term therapy in DRCC in Leeson Street, and in three outreach counselling services, Coolock Civic Centre, Tallaght Hospital and the Dochas Centre for female offenders. A sixth of all appointments were delivered in outreach services.

In addition to 3,885 individual therapy session, 238 group therapy hours were delivered in 2012.

Angela McCarthy, Director of Clinical Services at DRCC said: “The DRCC has shown its ongoing commitment to outreaching to local communities, through its services in Coolock, the Dochas Women’s Prison and Tallaght. The outreach counselling services were also availed of by people from adjoining counties such as Kildare, Meath, Wicklow, Laois and Westmeath. 79% of clients were from Dublin city and county and 21% were from 17 other counties.

While 86% of clients were Irish, 14% were of 32 other Nationalities. We provide interpreters for clients who do not speak English. Helpline callers were of 54 different Nationalities. It is heartening to see that our services are availed of by a much more diverse group of service users which reflects the multicultural Ireland of today.

The impact of the Ryan and Murphy Reports is still being experienced in the large numbers of victims seeking therapy for these issues. In 2012, 54% of clients of DRCC were victims of childhood sexual abuse. Pre Ryan and Murphy in 2008, the percentage of clients receiving counselling for childhood sexual abuse was 46%.”

Reporting to the Gardai

Statistics provided in this section relate to 322 clients who commenced therapy in the DRCC in 2012, where the reporting status was known. It is worth noting that reporting and convictions in this context refer to clients seen by DRCC service in the year 2012, although the reports and convictions may have occurred in previous years.

Of the 322 cases where the reporting status was known, 115 cases were reported to the Gardai, a reporting rate of 36%.

65% of the 115 cases reported related to rape and sexual assault.

35% of the 115 cases reported related to childhood sexual abuse.

Of the 115 cases reported to the Gardai, outcome information was known

for 45 cases (39%). Charges were dropped (by client or DPP) in 15 cases, 27 were pending charges and 3 went to trial resulting in 3 convictions.

Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop concluded: “We’ve had 35 years of the RCC movement in Ireland. We’re at a critical turning point in relation to awareness and changes in what were very stereotypical entrenched attitudes towards rape and sexual abuse. A lot has been achieved however we now need to continue to invest in RCCs and in Education, in early intervention and prevention strategies to ensure that these changes are given the opportunity to be bedded down in our collective Irish psyche. We believe having the New Child and Family Agency with its emphasis on prevention and early intervention will go a long way to ensuring that we will not have another Ferns, Ryan, Murphy or Cloyne Report in the future. It augurs well for the children of Ireland to have Frances Fitzgerald as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Gordon Jeyes as CEO elect of the New Child and Family Agency and Norah Gibbons as its Chair”.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop, CEO 01 661 4911/086 809 9618