Sexual violence in Galway on the rise

The prevalence of sexual violence is much greater than official statistics suggest after a new report found that 68% of survivors did not report the abuse to any official body.
The annual report launched this week revealed there was an increase of 23% in texts and phone calls from survivors of sexual abuse and violence to the Galway Rape Crisis Centre (GRCC) despite the helpline only being available for half the time.
Throughout 2013 there were 3,681 calls, texts and emails in 2013, compared to 2,935 in 2012 – that is a staggering jump of 1,700 helpline calls in five years.
Due to cutbacks the service is only operating at half the hours it once operated.
The report shows that the issue of sexual violence is still very much under the radar at official level as 68% of survivors did not report the abuse to any official body.
“There are many reasons that survivors do not report. A court case is a long and arduous process taking on average two years from reporting to a court date. As we have seen from the data, for many survivors the perpetrator is often someone close to them and this creates more complexities in terms of reporting,” said a spokesperson.
There was 41% increase in call outs to assist people going through the trauma of attending the Sexual Assault and Treatment Unit (SATU). These are specially designated units that provide all necessary care in the aftermath of a rape or sexual assault, including forensic medical examinations by a specially-trained medical doctor.
The centre facilitated over 3,000 face-to-face counselling sessions. A total of 68 clients were supported by a psychological support worker. Across the board the centre is supporting 282 more service users compared to five years ago, with an increase in 500 appointments in that period.
In a profile of their clients, it emerged that 85% were female and 15% were male, which was a 1% drop in the percentage of male clients.
Some 59% of clients sought support at the centre due to childhood sexual abuse, 28% for abuse that occurred as an adult and 13% for a combination of both.
In 98% of cases the perpetrator was known to the survivor and nearly one third were a friend, acquaintance or neighbour, with 27% of perpetrators family members.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.