A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Helpline opens for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people
The State’s first national helpline for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people will go live today. The helpline – 1890 929 539 – was set up when eight local helplines pooled their resources to run one national line. Those helplines received more than 2,000 calls last year, most calls people aged 25-45.
A recent Supporting LGBTLives study found that 80 per cent of about 300,000 had been verbally abused.
The new helpline will operate initially between 7pm-9pm from Monday to Friday.
Increase in calls for sexual abuse help
Calls for help in dealing with sexual abuse have increased six-fold in a year, according to the charity One In Four. The counselling and advocacy organisation says that since the publication of the Murphy report in November last year, more than 1,140 people have contacted it.
This is a 267 per cent increase in calls, it says.
“As a result, One In Four has introduced a new support service for families where one or more members has experienced sexual violence.” It is hoping to raise funds at an art exhibition and fair on Thursday at the Department of Justice on Stephen’s Green, Dublin.
One in Four director Maeve Lewis said: “Hundreds of sexual abuse victims have reached out to us for help since the publication of the Dublin archdiocese report into . . . abuse by the Catholic Church leadership in Dublin.”
C of I Bishop of Tuam to step down
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, Dr Richard Henderson, is to step down at the end of January to take up a new role in England, writes Patsy McGarry.
From March 5th he will be honorary assistant bishop in the diocese of Carlisle and team vicar in the Heart of Eden team ministry there. He will be based at Appleby-in- Westmoreland, Cumbria.