'The first place that made me feel safe': Sex abuse survivor praises Cork SATU on its 25th anniversary

Janet — not her real name — moved people to tears today as she spoke candidly about her experience as a service user with the Cork Sexual Assault Treatment Unit

An abuse survivor spoke movingly on Friday about the help she got from the Cork Sexual Assault Treatment Unit and its head nurse lead Margo Noonan, above. Picture: Chani Anderson

Sexual assault units are all too often associated with trauma, pain and memories some desperately wish they could forget. For one abuse survivor, however, it was the first step to reclaiming a life she feared might never be her own again.

Janet — not her real name — moved many people to tears as she spoke candidly about her experience as a service user with the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit (SATU) in Cork. 

The 26-year-old addressed a crowd via Zoom at a lunch in the Kingsley Hotel, marking 25 years of the facility. The unit offers forensic and medical aftercare services to both males and females aged 14 years and upwards, who have suffered a rape or sexual assault.

Nonetheless, Janet spoke about how the team, including SATU head nurse lead Margo Noonan, offered her so much more than that. The sexual abuse survivor recalled initially feeling “dirty” and “ashamed” after the assault occurred.

“When I do feel comfortable enough to share my experience, people are often shocked to see how positive I speak about the SATU clinic,” she said. “While it is a place I associate with one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in my life, the SATU was the first place that made me feel safe when I didn’t think I would get safety back.

“They were the first place that let me express my trauma without shame. They made me feel brave and powerful for just putting my foot in the door. I was met by some of the kindest, most compassionate and respectful people I have ever met. When everything felt like the beginning of the end, they helped me.

“The first point of contact with professionals after something so traumatic is so important because it truly does impact the way you deal with it. I’ll never forget how amazing they were, not just at the initial meeting but every appointment after that.”

Nia Welli, Margo Noonan, Finola Tobin, Wendy Matthews, Louise Tiernan, Michelle Clancy, Ellen Sheehan, Sinead Dorgan, and Catherine O’Brien at The Kingsley Hotel, Cork, to mark the 25th anniversary of the Cork Sexual Assault Trauma Unit. Picture: Chani Anderson

Ciara Mangan, founder and CEO of Beyond Surviving, Ireland’s first survivor-led charity, who was at the event, spoke to the Irish Examiner about her own experience of sexual abuse and the justice system. It follows an assault at a party in May 2013, that saw her attacker, a colleague, sentenced to eight years in prison with the final year suspended.

Midleton CBS deputy principal Tom Casey, one of the speakers at the 25th anniversary celebrations for the Cork Sexual Assault Trauma Unit at The Kingsley Hotel, Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson

“It doesn’t end with a conviction or when someone is sent to prison. I know that when he is coming out, he is going to have very little in his pocket. There is a housing crisis. He is going to be moving into his parents’ house, which is right opposite my house, so it doesn’t really end when someone goes to jail. 

"I never forget how lucky I am to get the level of justice I managed to achieve. I never take that for granted because I hear every day how many people don’t. That’s a huge pain that they carry.”

Speakers Dr Nicola O’Sullivan and Ciara Mangan with Sexual Assault Trauma Unit co-ordinator Margo Noonan during the SATU 25th anniversary event at The Kingsley Hotel, Cork. Picture: Chani Anderson

She said the pain of a sexual assault is always present.

“In many ways, the pain is like a backpack. I might be able to put it down for a while, but it’s always there.”

Other speakers at the event included solicitor Gerald Kean, social care practitioner Nicola O’Sullivan, clinical lead for Cork SATU Dr John Coulter, and national lead for SATU services Professor Maeve Eogan.