Nicole Glennon: Mary Crilly has spent four decades protecting victims of sexual violence

Dublin-born founding member of the Cork Sexual Violence Centre, Mary Crilly has been described as an “angel” by those she has assisted, who number in the thousands

Mary Crilly, Director, Sexual Violence Centre Pic: Larry Cummins

Mary Crilly is approaching her 40th year at the forefront of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork (SVCC).

As a founding member, Ms Crilly has been an indelible part of the charity since it began assisting sexual assault survivors as the Cork Rape Crisis Centre on March 8, 1983 (the charity later changed its name to more accurately reflect the range of clients who avail of its services).

The centre was the first organisation in Cork to introduce counselling and support to women, men and teenagers who have experienced sexual violence or child sexual abuse. 

Today, they accompany survivors of rape to the Sexual Assault Trauma Unit (SATU) at the South Infirmary Hospital in Cork and to court, actively campaign for changes in how victims and perpetrators of sexual violence are treated, and run a free helpline every day of the year.

When Crilly was first asked to join the group of women setting up the centre, she thought it was a “joke” she says.

“I’d never gone to college, I had never been involved in anything. I was on my own raising two daughters” 

She gave herself six months to see if she could do it —almost four decades on, she still is.

The Dublin-born woman has been described as an “angel” by those she has assisted, who number in the thousands. She’s been awarded Cork Person of the Month and UCC’s Equality Award.

“It’s been a privilege, “ the 67-year-old says of her tenure with the organisation, “even though there have been times it’s really got me down.

“I’ve had panic attacks, hit rock bottom, really struggled — but whenever it’s gotten difficult I have thought of those who have suffered sexual violence.

“The courage of those people [who come to SVCC] has kept me here.” In the early days, just 30 to 40 women walked through 5 Camden Place’s doors every year.

It was a time when people felt stigmatised even being associated with the Centre’s work, Crilly says.

“I still remember people not wanting to wear our t-shirts running the mini-marathon,” she recalls.

Now, the number of women who use the centre every year is in the 400s, and great progress has been made in bringing sexual violence into the open— but we have a long way to go when it comes to victim blaming and protecting perpetrators she says.

Crilly’s end goal is to work towards a society that does not tolerate sexual violence in any capacity.

“I want my legacy to be that we are shocked and appalled by all sexual violence. That we don’t tolerate it in any way.

“Everyone was shocked and horrified at the death of Ashling Murphy, and rightfully so. But I want us to be horrified at every woman who is murdered.

“I want us to be horrified at every single person who is raped. There are no grey areas in sexual violence,” she says, “It’s black and white.”