TODAY we publish a deeply disturbing survey on rape and rape victims that should make us all stop and think about how we judge women, their attackers and our society’s attitude towards what provokes sexual crimes.

Almost €400,000 out of a nationwide total of more than €1.5m was paid into Kerry District Court poor boxes last year.

Abuse victim Mairia Cahill has passed on the names of around 35 alleged abusers to the gardaí and PSNI.

There has been a near 50% drop in the number of murders over the last 12 months, but both sexual offences and assaults have risen sharply over the same period.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN put it succinctly when he declared that “those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither”.

A REPORT from Britain will influence if nurses here are trained to carry out forensic examinations on sexual assault victims.

A few weeks ago, a soccer club in which I have an interest was invited to an under-10 tournament in Kilkenny, writes Michael Clifford.

Neans McSweeney reports on the successful approach taken by a new centre for sexual assault victims.

Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan has brushed off remarks by the chair of the Policing Authority that there were concerns over her ability to focus on her job while dealing with the whistleblower tribunal.

All too often, parents in the past were lulled into a false sense of security that their children were occupied watching television, but it was largely controlled. Now children have the added distractions of video games or the internet, which is essentially unmonitored, because they can expose children to dangerous levels of explicit sex and violence.

Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald reacted to the report’s criticisms by announcing measures to address some of the main failings identified.

I HAVE written to the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, to express the serious concern of the Irish Refugee Council about the appalling insensitivity shown recently to a number of immigrants and their children by certain officials of the state.

The new Policing Authority must have the power to investigate complaints from victims of crime as the Garda Ombudsman is “not fit for purpose”, an alliance of victims’ groups has said.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter has said there may need to be a fresh abortion referendum to deal with women pregnant as a result of rape.

Human rights campaigners today demanded an end to ineffective Government statements aimed at reducing the amount of women suffering domestic violence in Ireland.

PROPOSALS that Minister for Justice Michael McDowell will bring to the Cabinet tomorrow on how best to formally inquire into allegations of clerical child sex abuse would appear to be going generally in the right direction.

- Women’s Aid helpline with interpretation in 170 languages: 1800 341 900 (10am to 10pm)