Dublin Rape Crisis reports 30% increase in calls

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre saw a rise of 30% in first time callers to its helpline last year.

The centre is launching its annual report for 2014 this morning, which shows calls relating to adult rape also increased by 14% compared to 2013.

In total, they handled just over 12,000 counselling contacts in the year, of which more than 9,000 were genuine. 76% of those who got in touch were female, while the remaining 24% were male.

215 victims of rape and sexual assault were accompanied by the centre's trained volunteers to the sex assault unit in the Rotunda Hospital.

CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Ellen O'Malley Dunlop, said the statistics are a result of more people reporting sexual abuse.

"We know that's the case, even from pieces of research that have been done. However, we also know that we have the highest fallout between actually reporting [the crime] and getting to court.

"We are hoping that the European directive on victim's rights - which has to be transposed into Irish law by November - will go a long way to addressing that fallout."

Only 36% of cases the crisis centre deals with are reported to gardaí, and many more of those never make it to trial.

She said the Centre's funding had been cut by 30% since 2009, despite the increase in those seeking help.

Speaking at the launch of the annual report, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald said under-reporting of sexual violence was an "international problem" and more support is required.