IT is appalling that victims of sexual abuse are waiting up to two years before receiving full-time counselling support from a State scheme set up to help people recover after their traumatic experience.

Convicted rapist Larry Murphy is tonight spending his first night as a free man after his controversial release from prison.

Rape survivor Lavinia Kerwick has challenged the Garda Commissioner, the Government, and the judiciary to match her bravery by bringing about major changes in the way victims are treated in sexual offence trials.

The Supreme Court has issued a ruling on the legal definition of consent in cases of rape.

THE showdown between Taoiseach Brian Cowen and the 18 religious orders which signed the controversial 2002 child abuse indemnity deal is to take place next Thursday — a day after he meets survivors’ groups to hear their demands for an appropriate response from both Church and state.

The Government is facing mounting pressure to create new mechanisms to provide for consistent sentencing in rape cases, as anger grows over the suspended term handed down to a man who raped his girlfriend while she slept.

Technology has changed, particularly through the ubiquitousness of the mobile phone but the need for research has not diminished, writes Alison O’Connor

CAMPAIGNERS will be encouraged by the revelation that Health Minister Mary Harney is actively considering ways of streamlining the State’s response to Ireland’s growing crisis of rape and sexual assault.

More consideration was given by the judge to sex abuser Tom Humphries than to his victim, according to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC).

Gardaí said medical tests along with CCTV footage and witness statements will show if there is evidence to substantiate claims by a college student that she was raped by a taxi driver.

AS rape is among the most heinous of crimes, any legal initiative likely to be perceived as undermining the gravity of such an offence should not be considered lightly, if at all.

In a victim impact statement the victim, now an adult, said that the abuse left her feeling disgusted with her body. She said she was aged only eight when she tried to kill herself.

CAMPAIGNERS for victims of sex crime have pleaded with the Government not to back down on the promise of a children’s rights referendum after hints by Children’s Minister Barry Andrews it is to be abandoned in favour of laws that would not necessitate a public vote.

Concerns have been expressed about the length of time it will take to conduct and publish the long-awaited new study on sexual violence in Ireland.

Catch up on this morning's headlines...

The man accused of murdering Cork nurse Karen Buckley is due to appear in court in Scotland again today.