The Long-term Effects of Verbal Abuse

Image courtesy of Sonas, Ireland.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre releases annual report

‘Disturbing’ increase in sexual violence.

Increasing levels of violence are accompanying rape, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has said, and “particularly concerning” was the way social media is being used to film and distribute some assaults.

Angela McCarthy, DRCC’s head of clinical services, speaking at the publication of the centre’s annual report in September, said there had been a “disturbing increase in sexual violence” reported last year.

She said 27% of all incidents of adult rape or sexual assault disclosed in therapy sessions included additional violence, predominantly physical abuse, psychological abuse and harassment or intimidation. Some 21% of all incidents of childhood sexual abuse were accompanied by additional violence, mainly psychological and physical abuse.

“Experienced therapists and counsellors have been very shocked at some of the violence. Age seems to be an issue, with younger people being raped by gangs while others are watching and sometimes filming the assaults.”

Social media was increasingly being used as a second form of abuse, with victims further violated by having a video of the ordeal distributed and potentially witnessed by people who were not present.

“What makes it worse is that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. It is particularly concerning.”

Study needed
It underlined the need for a thorough study of the prevalence and type of sexual violence in Ireland in 2014, along the lines of the landmark Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland (Savi) report published in 2002, she said.

The call for “a second Savi” was repeated by chief executive Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, who said helpline staff last year processed the highest number of calls since 2009. There were 3,928 first-time callers and the number of repeat contacts was 4,955 – the highest since 2004 and a 7% increase on 2012. Some 78% were from females and 22% from males.

Child sexual abuse
Some 44% of calls related to child sexual abuse and 42% to adult rape. 9% related to adult sexual assault – representing an increase of 21% on the previous year, 2% to ritual abuse, 0.9% to sexual harassment, 0.5% to suspected abuse, 0.3% to trafficking, and, 0.1% to under-13 sexualised behaviour.

The busiest month last year was January, when there were 477 calls and the busiest hour on average was between 11am and noon, with more than 800 calls during this hour last year.

Some 72% of calls came from Dublin and 28% from 12 other counties. Callers were most likely to be aged 30 to 39 (25% of callers), followed by 40 to 49 years (23%) and then 24 to 29 years (15.4%).

The report was published September 2 by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs in Ireland, James Reilly. His department has, since January, been responsible for funding sexual and domestic violence services.

Ms O’Malley-Dunlop appealed to him to restore funding to the DRCC which has seen an almost 30% cut since 2008. She said DRCC had to make three people – including two therapists – voluntarily redundant this year just as services were in greater demand than ever.

Pointing to a recent Economic and Social Research Institute study which set out the long-term costs of childhood sexual abuse both to the victims and society, she said: “Many studies around the world tell us that when the emotional and psychological needs are met their physical and overall wellbeing improves which impacts positively on the health and economic wellbeing of that society.”

Sources: DRCC, Savi.

 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Ireland

Each year, an ever-increasing number of men, women and their families are joining the award-winning Walk a Mile in Her Shoes®: The International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. A Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® Event is a playful opportunity for men to raise awareness in their community about the serious causes, effects and remediations to men’s sexualized violence against women.

First You Walk the Walk
There is an old saying: “You can’t really understand another person’s experience until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® asks men to literally walk one mile in women’s high-heeled shoes. It’s not easy walking in these shoes, but it’s fun and it gets the community to talk about something that’s really difficult to talk about: gender relations and men’s sexual violence against women.

Then You Talk the Talk
It’s critical to open communication about sexualized violence. While hidden away, sexualized violence is immune to cure. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to get people talking. People unfamiliar with men’s sexualized violence against women don’t even want to know it exists. It’s ugly. People that have experienced sexualized violence themselves want to forget about it. How do you get people talking now, so they can prevent it from happening? And if it’s already happened, how do you help them get help to recover?

Source: The Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® site.

Take part in this walk and help create awareness around violence against women. Walks are taking place tomorrow, September 13, in Dublin, Cork and Galway, Ireland.

www.walkamileireland.ie
www.walkamileinhershoes.org/
Find out more about Frank Baird who founded Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® in 2001.