The need to encourage victims of rape and sexual assault to seek help to overcome trauma has been highlighted by the Minister of State for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Ms Mary Wallace.
At the opening of premises for the Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI) in Galway yesterday, Ms Wallace, chairwoman of the National Steering Committee on Violence Against Women, said: "As we are all too aware, the impact of any form of violence against women, and particularly of rape and sexual assault, can have a traumatic effect on victims. It can take years for a victim to find the strength to take the first step to seek help.
"We also know from recently reported statistics that in almost 80 per cent of cases the perpetrator of rape or sexual assault is known to the victim. This makes it even harder for the victim to report these heinous crimes," Ms Wallace said.
The Rape Crisis Network was set up in 1985. It has grown in the last 15 months, with additional Government funding permitting the employment of new staff.
A 12-month study, contracted by the steering committee, is about to assess service delivery, identify gaps in services and develop models of best practice.
Since the establishment of the committee in 1997, the money available for services to combat violence against women has increased from £3 million to £8.3 million.
The number of reported rapes continues to increase while the rate of convictions continues to fall. In the 1980s about 21 per cent of cases resulted in a conviction, whereas in the 1990s only about 8 per cent of rapes saw the perpetrator convicted.
A spokeswoman for RCNI, Ms Fiona Neary, said this fall in the rate of convictions was a European trend.
"We are also concerned about the inconsistency of sentencing. The RCNI recognises that there are some good sentences handed down which do not receive media attention, but we will continue to highlight inconsistencies and very lenient sentencing," she said.
