Sexual assaults - Victims must not suffer in silence

While the legal situation requires that women who have been raped should be forensically examined before they can take a shower or bath, it is utterly intolerable that some women have to travel for three or four hours before they can be examined.

These examinations take place at one of the country’s five Sexual Assault Treatment Units.

There was a rota of doctors carrying out such examinations in Limerick, but that system has collapsed. Now women who are raped in Limerick have to travel to have the examination in Cork. As a result, many women are deciding not to go through with reporting this heinous crime.

Rape is believed to be on the increase, but no reliable figures have been available because there has been a traditional reluctance on the part of women to report the crime. Many did not have faith in the legal system to treat them with the necessary sensitivity and feared that they would be victimised all over again.

The law enforcement authorities and the legal profession have adopted a radically different approach in dealing with sexual assault.

The anonymity of victims is now legally protected, but the Department of Health is lagging woefully behind in the matter of forensic tests and necessary counselling.

It is believed that less than half of all rapes are reported and there has been an alarming drop of over 71% in the number of rape and aggravated sexual assault cases brought by the State over the past five years. The number declined from 130 cases in 1999 to just 37 cases in 2004.

If that drop reflected a decrease in the incidence of rape and aggravated sexual assault it would be a welcome development, but this is obviously not the situation. It more likely reflects the growing disillusionment of victims.

There are so many obstacles in getting a rape case to court that many people are refusing to pursue with their allegations. In addition to having to wait for hours for a doctor to undertake the necessary forensic tests, victims may have to wait for months for counselling.

People who have the courage to look for counselling should receive it without delay. This includes a significant number of vulnerable young men seeking counselling after aggravated sexual assault. Waiting for four months is only likely to exacerbate their problems. Hence, it is little wonder that people are becoming so disillusioned with the system.

The DPP naturally only pursues cases that he thinks can be won in court. But even then, the conviction rate in the last two years has only been marginally over 35%, which is hardly likely to encourage victims to pursue a case.

The Rape Crisis Centres had no increase in funding last year, which reflects poorly on the level of commitment within the Department of Health to tackle the problem. In fact, it is a blistering indictment of the system that the majority of sexual assault victims are choosing to suffer in silence.

This is not so much about ensuring that culprits are prosecuted, as it is about justice. But, most of all, it is about the need to protect our citizens.