Victims’ greatest fear — not being believed

A MERE one in 12 women who are sexually assaulted will tell the gardaí. A third of those who keep it to themselves do so because they feel they will be held accountable, they are too ashamed, they think they will not be believed or they blame themselves.

These were the results of the landmark Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland report in 2002 which looked into the prevalence of sex crimes and attitudes towards them.

Today, an Irish Examiner/Red C poll reveals that among a significant portion of people the fears of raped women about how others will react are entirely justified.