Over a thousand women report sex attacks by partners

More than a thousand women in the Republic of Ireland have reported being raped or sexually abused by their partners, it emerged today.

The issue of martial rape was highlighted by the six-year jail sentenced handed down to a Sligo man who forced his wife to have sex with him.

Women’s Aid said that more than 1,000 of the 12,500 women who had called its service for help in 2004 had reported sexual abuse by their partner.

“Issues disclosed by women included being raped repeatedly, conceiving their children as a result of rape and being sexually abused in front of their children,” said spokeswoman Rachel Mullen.

Martial rape was made a criminal offence in 1993 but so far the Sligo man is the only person to be convicted for the offence.

Ms Mullen said there was huge stigma attached to disclosing sexual violence, especially within marriage, and called for a better support system to be put in place.

“Women tell us that they feel totally at the mercy of their abusive partners and wonder if the State will be able to protect them should they come forward,” she said.

The Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland (SAVI) report, which was published in 2002, found that almost one quarter of perpetrators of sexual violence against adult women were intimate partners.

The Rape Crisis Network of Ireland (RCNI) has said that very few women who have been raped within marriages or relationships feel they will be believed.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that any children in the relationship will be affected by the women’s attempts to escape or seek justice.