Rape victims wait 11 hours to be examined

SOME rape victims have to wait up to 11 hours to be examined because of a shortage of doctors trained to gather forensic evidence.

Rape counsellors fear rapists will escape prosecution because victims find the lengthy delays in carrying out medical examinations too degrading. Victims cannot change their clothes or shower while waiting for forensic examination.

The vice chairman of the Irish Medical Organisation’s GP Committee, Dr Martin Daly, has called for the establishment of a specialist team of trained police surgeons to forensically examine rape victims.

“The whole situation brings into focus the lack of a police surgeon service similar to that which is available in the UK. In urban areas, dedicated services are often provided. But in rural areas, the situation is a lot more complicated. It’s not really just a matter of sending doctors on weekend courses, either. We really have reached a situation where we need to have dedicated doctors available to provide such a service within a specific timeframe and who know their role,” the Galway-based GP said.

There are dedicated centres for dealing with rape victims in Dublin, Cork and Letterkenny. Another centre is being set up in Galway. There are also limited facilities in Limerick and Tralee. However, if a woman is raped outside of any of these locations, she faces lengthy delays in getting an examination. Dublin Rape Crisis Centre CEO Muireann Ó Briain said delays of up to 11 hours were not uncommon.

“There are huge problems wherever there are no dedicated centres.

Not enough doctors are trained in carrying out such forensic examinations. And there are little or no facilities for these victims to change and shower after such a test.

When someone is raped, the first thing they want to do is shower or change their clothes. But they can’t do this until the test is done,” Ms Ó Briain said. The Waterford Rape Crisis Centre is one of the centres pressing for a specialist Sexual Assault Treatment Unit.

Manager Sheila Vereker said: “Two weeks ago a girl rang here. She told us that the night that she was raped, she was sent to the sexual assault treatment unit in Cork to be examined because there was no qualified GP available to examine her here.”

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre: 1800 77 88 88. Waterford Rape and Sexual Assault Centre 1800 296 296.