Agencies unite to break silence on sexual violence

National helpline agencies have joined forces to break the silence on sexual violence in relationships.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and Women’s Aid ‘Not happily ever after’ campaign, launched yesterday, encourages women to overcome the shame and fear associated with the crime.

The campaign highlights the crime of sexual violence within relationships, was reported by 91,000 women (6% of all women) in Ireland in a recent survey.

Women’s Aid director Margaret Martin said EU-wide research showed under-reporting of sexual violence in relationships was significant, with Irish respondents reporting low levels of help-seeking.

“The extent to which women recognise that rape by an intimate partner is a crime is one factor in reporting,” she said. “So we’ve launched this campaign to help women overcome the shame and fear associated with this crime, and to highlight the support that is available.”

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre chief executive Ellen O’Malley Dunlop said the fairytale notion of ‘happily ever after’ was used to focus attention on sexual violence in relationships and to question the misconception that sexual violence was mainly perpetrated by strangers.

“In reality, women are at risk of sexual violence from their partners, exes, or someone they know,” she said. “Almost one quarter of perpetrators of sexual violence against adult women in Ireland are intimate partners or exes. Yet there has only been one marital rape conviction in nearly a quarter century since the law has been on the statute books.”

Ms O’Malley Dunlop said that repeat victimisation in relationships where there was sexual violence was common.

“Over half of women raped by their partner experienced more than one incident of sexual violence and one third of victims experienced six or more incidents of rape by their current partner,” she said. “Despite these consequences, for a quarter of victims, feeling ashamed or embarrassed about what had happened stopped them from reporting the crime or seeking help.

“This campaign aims to challenge the culture of victim-blaming that leaves women silenced and ashamed, while violent perpetrators remain outside the criminal justice system.”

The campaign will run until June 2 and includes national outdoor, radio, and digital advertising, and is funded by Cosc, the national office for the prevention of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence.

* Dublin Rape Crisis Centre — 1800 778888. Women’s Aid – 1800 341900.

* www.nothappilyever after.ie