We should not feel sympathy for Tom Humphries. One expert says we need to realise nothing happened to him, that it’s entirely of his own design, reports Joyce Fegan

Victims of sexual violence are being “silenced” following the State’s decision to cut off funding to a national data collection system, rape crisis agencies have said.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) is to ask the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to clarify if the Government has a legal obligation to fund good data collection in the context of Tusla pulling funding for its database.

Rape Crisis Network Ireland has criticised Cork City Council after it passed a vote of condolence following the death of a former lord mayor who was convicted of sexual assault.

A definition of consent is urgently needed in Irish law but while we wait for the law to catch up, Jessica Casey hears how colleges are educating students on sexual consent

A legal row over data protection has erupted between the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) and a State agency over its right to publish information gathered from abuse victims.

About a year and a half ago, Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, stopped its €250,000 funding of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI), effectively removing 70% of its funding overnight.

We need to remove the myth that a rape victim who has consumed alcohol is in any way responsible for the crime committed against them, says Cliona Saidlear, head of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI).

The introduction of a statutory definition for consent is being examined by the Department of Justice and Equality.

Recorded sexual offences, assaults, threats of murder, and kidnappings rose sharply last year.

It’s not just A-listers that suddenly find intimate images of themselves popping up online. It is happening in cities, towns and villages around Ireland and so an Irish barrister has set up The Hit Team says Áilín Quinlan

The biggest rape crisis centre in the country had more than 100 victims of past rape and childhood sexual abuse on a waiting list to receive therapy at the end of 2014.

One of the country’s key rape support services has warned massive funding cuts could leave abandoned four out of five survivors of abuse.

The country’s rape support services face disarray after Tusla pulled the plug on funding for their co-ordinating body.

The Diageo-funded campaign against alcohol abuse is to continue using its latest advertisement despite criticism from rape counsellors that it targets victims of sex crimes.

Ireland’s direct provision system has been condemned for leaving asylum seekers and refugees at risk of sexual violence.

Rape victims whose abuse claims were dealt with outside of the statutory justice system have been urged to come forward and have their cases investigated by the proper authorities.

Almost 700 men and women attended the six sexual assault treatment units across the country last year.

One in four prosecutions for rape and serious sexual offences were dropped with no explanation last year, according to court figures.

A businessman who dragged a teenager into a spare bedroom of a Killarney B&B in the middle of the night and sexually assaulted her has been given a suspended sentence at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee.

School authorities often react “in inappropriate ways” to incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault of pupils, rape crisis groups have claimed.

The Nicola Furlong murder trial in Japan once again highlighted the spectre of drinks-spiking. But just how much of a danger is it posing in the pubs and clubs of Ireland, wonders John Hearne

Promotional material for horse breeding services which features a woman straddling a man has been criticised as “unprofessional” by the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI).

Rape crisis centres are urging Health Minister James Reilly not to cut their funding any more as figures show an 11% jump in the number of people contacting centres last year.

Fresh controversy surrounds the case of sex offender Anthony Lyons after it emerged his six-year sentence can only be reactivated if he reoffends within two years of his release, rather than during the full six-year period.

Rape crisis groups have hit out at the sentence in the Anthony Lyons case, describing it as very lenient.

Some sex offenders will be able to have their convictions erased under proposed laws, contrary to official statements that sex offences are excluded.

Rape crisis groups have hit out at indications from the state prosecutor’s office that it may backtrack on plans to give sex crime victims reasons why charges are not being taken in their cases.

Most of the women and girls who attend Rape Crisis Centres after being made pregnant as a result of rape go on to keep their babies.

THE Rape Crisis Network has criticised columnist Kevin Myers for comments he made describing date rape as less harmful than other forms of rape.

GARDAÍ monitoring paedophiles and other sex offenders will be able to warn potential victims, including partners, under legislation being drafted.

CLIONA SAIDLEAR of the Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) said the figures highlight the need for greater protection of children.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern is considering the introduction of mandatory sentencing for attacks on elderly people.

THE Rape Crisis Network will highlight the need for specialist Garda training on sexual violence when it meets Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today.

Many people attach blame to young women who are raped, but these girls don’t have the sexual maturity to negotiate such prejudices, writes Conor Ryan.

VICTIMS’ groups have criticised the Government’s failure to plug a hole in child protection legislation after a man walked free from court after admitting he had sex with a 14-year-old girl.

AS IT stands there is no way of identifying the likes of David Brozovsky and preventing them from entering the country.

RAPE and child support groups yesterday linked the massive drop in unlawful carnal knowledge offences to the crisis over the statutory rape laws.

A NEW agreement between Britain and Ireland will make it easier to track and monitor sex offenders.

THE Government was criticised yesterday for its continuing failure to publish a blueprint for improving treatment services for victims of sexual assault.

THE number of reported rapes has jumped by 35% over the last three years, according to official figures.