Victims of rape and other sex crimes will not have to go to Gardaí straight away under a new service proposed by the country's sexual assault units.

THE number of rape cases making it to court dropped by over a third last year because a growing number of victims are intimidated by the legal process, say rape crisis experts.

Last year saw a doubling in the number of sex offenders in breach of agreements which require them to be in contact with Gardaí.

“It must be part of a broader understanding to colleges that such behaviour is not acceptable."

One in five Irish women will fall victim to a sexual assault during their lifetime, it was revealed today.

July and August saw a spike in the number of people attending the sexual assault unit in Dublin.

THIRTY-ONE people reported being raped in Dublin in July — the equivalent of one sexual assault for every day of the month.

RAPE crisis services are at serious risk due to the cap on HSE funding and a decline in corporate donations, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said.

Four organisations working in the area of child sex abuse held a meeting in Dublin this afternoon to consider the fallout from the Supreme Court ruling in the 'C' case case and new laws on underage sex.

COUNSELLING services throughout the country have reported a significant increase in calls from people seeking help following the publication of the Cloyne report.

There is still a strong demand for services for victims of sexual violence, according to the latest report from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has called for media guidelines on the discussion of sexual assault following controversial comments by Newstalk presenter George Hook last week.

THE number of 14-year- olds being counselled following sexual assault in Cork almost doubled between 2009 and 2010 and many of the alleged abusers were other teenagers.

Support groups for victims of child sex abuse are calling on the Government to delay the publication of the official report into clerical abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese.

At least one in five women will experience domestic or sexual abuse, according to the National Womens' Council.

The arrival of a Stringfellow’s lapdance club in Dublin is another nail in the coffin of a safe and equal society for women, it was claimed today.

There needs to be an urgent review of marital rape law and legal guidelines after a sentence for an offender was reduced on appeal, say Women’s Aid and the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

The newly appointed head of the country’s largest rape crisis service provider is warning that vital protections for victims are being delayed while government formation talks drag on. 

YOUR front page lead story headline (July 20) read ‘373 girls of school going age raped in one year’.

Using language sensitively when discussing victims of rape and sexual violence is important, according to Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop