THERE WERE A record 18,605 calls to Dublin Rape Crisis Centre’s national helpline last year, up from 18,400 calls in 2022.
As was the case in previous years, most calls were from women but there was an increase in the number of men who called the helpline.
Seven in 10 callers in 2023 were female (71.3%) and 17.5% were male, compared to 84% female callers and 15.7% male callers in 2022.
There was a significant rise in contacts who identified as ‘other’ last year, up from 0.3% in 2022 to 11.2% in 2023.
The figures are included in DRCC’s 2023 Annual Report which will be published later today.
Most calls (10,106) were first-time contacts, with 5,149 contacts getting in touch for a second or subsequent time, and there were 3,350 calls where this information was undisclosed.
Most people who called the helpline last year were seeking support around a rape that had occurred as an adult (39.8%).
The second most common reason for calling was to discuss child sexual abuse (33.6%), followed by sexual assault as an adult (16.7%). Some 1.5% of calls related to sexual harassment.
People who contacted the helpline ranged in age from under 16 to over 70 years. Most people were aged in their 30s (19.6% of contacts) or 40s (18.5%).
Speaking ahead of the launch of the report, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said: “Many of the figures and statistics from last year are shocking, many of the insights harrowing.”
McEntee noted that most of the contacts related to incidents of rape as an adult, stating: “That is difficult to process.”
The minister added:
Every number represents a person, a life affected by violence, and it provides startling clarity on why and how the work of DRCC is crucial.
Rachel Morrogh, DRCC’s Chief Executive Officer, said one “concerning trend” noted by the staff and volunteers who operate the helpline was “an increase in people disclosing mental health challenges and feeling that there was nowhere to turn”.
“The impact of increased levels of distress and additional support requirements led to greater numbers of clients requiring longer periods of counselling,” Morrogh said.
A worrying and growing number of callers reported suicidal ideation, with almost 500 calls involving feelings of suicide over the course of 2023.
“Issues that affect the wider population, such as homelessness, family breakdowns and conflict, are compounding the mental health needs of our clients.
“Added to this is a regularly reinforced message from callers that they have slipped through the cracks of an already overburdened mental health system.”
DRCC provided therapy to 497 clients last year, compared with 551 in 2022.
The report states that this decrease is “directly attributable to challenges in recruiting therapists, and this was addressed towards the end of 2023″.
Morrogh also said it is “worth reflecting on the small numbers of people who report a sexual offence to gardaí”.
She noted data published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in 2023 highlighted that one in two people who have experienced sexual violence never tell anyone else.
Of the people who do disclose to another person, only 4% of women and 6% of men go to the gardaí.
“This tiny proportion of the total number of people who experience sexual violence reflects the findings from the CSO that people don’t think they will be believed, that they don’t think what happened was serious enough or that they feel too ashamed or embarrassed to speak out.”
Most people who needed further information or support outside of DRCC services last year were referred to another rape crisis centre (23%), followed by other counselling services (20%), gardaí (15%), sexual assault treatment units (9%); 6% of referrals were to suicide prevention services, and 4% to mental health services.
If you have been affected by any of the issues mentioned in this article, you can reach out for support through the following helplines:
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