A CANDLE flame flickered in front of framed photographs of murdered Swiss teenager Manuela Riedo as her parents launched a new foundation for rape and sexual assault victims in Dublin yesterday.

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.

VICTIMS of abuse in residential institutions have sought help in record numbers since the publication of the Ryan report, prompting a funding appeal from helplines.

ANGRY exchanges punctuated the contribution of former Education Minister Michael Woods in the Dáil discussion of the Ryan Report, after he defended his role in securing the indemnity deal for religious orders.

SUPPORT agencies struggling to cope with increasing numbers of victims of sexual abuse have appealed to Justice Minister Dermot Ahern to delay the publication of the Dublin Archdiocese report into child sex abuse.

HELPLINES are reporting a surge in victims of abuse from religious-run day schools contacting them in the wake of the damning Ryan report as well appeals for help in progressing prosecutions against abusers.

A HELPLINE for abuse victims has fielded a month’s worth of calls in seven hours following the publication of the damning report into institutional child abuse.

THERE has been a massive surge in first-time callers as helplines and support groups have been overwhelmed with calls for help from abuse victims since the damning report on religious-run schools was published.

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.

RAPE victims waiting years for their cases to be tried in court are having to deal with the added trauma of having them postponed at the last minute, Labour’s Brian O’Shea has claimed.

VICTIMS of rape in Galway and Mullingar have to travel to Dublin to be examined following an attack, as promised sexual assault units have not yet been opened.

THE head of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has called for every diocese in the country to be investigated by the Dublin Archdiocese Commission of Investigation.

VICTIMS’ groups have expressed shock at how an audit of child protection measures was considered acceptable despite religious dioceses skipping the only section which questioned bishops’ handling of actual abuse cases.

THE National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI), has a strong mandate representing 500,000 of the country’s two million women.

Thought-provoking stuff.

The head of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said sexual violence is getting more common, and that pornography is contributing to the problem.

The trial of a man accused of raping his friend in Dublin has heard there were 37 messages exchanged between them in the days that followed.

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

A woman who was a child victim of paedophile Eamonn Cooke has spoken out about her experiences in a powerful interview.

There have been calls today for sexual abuse cases to be fast-tracked through the courts system.