Rape crisis support services more vital than ever

The first thing that strikes you about Rape Crisis Midwest is how cheery and warm it is; not just the building, but the entire mood that envelops you when you enter.

It is a far cry from the first kind of counselling for sexual assault offered in Limerick, which was offered by a small group of pioneers in the back of cars or hotel lobbies in and around Pery Square in the city.

In Ireland in the late 1970s where marital rape was still not considered a crime and the power of the Church was absolute, women trained themselves as counsellors by ordering textbooks and reading material from abroad and offering peer support to men and women affected by sexual violence.

As a child growing up in Limerick, Pery Square with its fine clock tower, church and hotel was where my grandmother took me for afternoon tea after watching the St Patrick’s Day parade through the city. I see the small square differently now, drenched in history, the clock tower telling time on the start of a movement that would see scores of broken souls searching for help.

To this day Rape Crisis Midwest isn’t sure how women and men who needed the service found out about it in the early days. No newspaper would accept an advertisement from them with a phone number for a helpline.

Calls more than doubled during pandemic

That desperation for support in the early days was echoed during the time of the pandemic. Between March and the end of July this year, calls to the centre more than doubled, with well over 1,000 calls from new and existing clients. Director Miriam Duffy pays tribute to her team and says they put policy in place of answering every call left on their voicemail within 24 hours to ensure that people were supported in their time of need.

Interestingly, Miriam says people made contact not just about recent cases of sexual abuse, but historic cases as well, with the pandemic giving people time to reflect on traumatic experiences and life events.

They also implemented over-the-phone counselling and reached out to provide general counselling support to the healthcare, gardaí and other frontline teams dealing with the stress of working through the pandemic.

It is a phenomenal achievement for a staff of one full-time and eight part-time members. There is also a small sea of volunteers who offer their time and energy, including qualified counsellors who undergo the centre’s own training to provide counselling free of charge to individuals.

‘Rape’ too ugly a word

“Back in the early days, newspapers wouldn’t even take an ad with a phone number,” Miriam says.

The stigma and use of the word “rape” was too ugly and hard to publicise at the time. Whispers, word of mouth travelling from one frightened person to the next, just looking for help to make sense of the atrocity they’d been subjected to.

Up to 85 people a week walk through the doors of the Rape Crisis Midwest

Eventually the group of volunteers received a £5,000 grant and were able to move into a building in Mallow St in Limerick city. Now Rape Crisis Midwest is based in what is known as Hanrahan House – the surname of the family who owned it and the Cuisine de France franchise.

There is also an office in Nenagh and Ennis, which provide counselling services two days a week. Up to 85 people a week walk through the doors of the Rape Crisis Midwest in search of succour and support.

“The most pressure at the moment is on our Limerick centre, but we have a waiting list in Nenagh and Ennis as well, but just because someone is from Clare doesn’t mean they have to use the Ennis office. In some cases, people might prefer to use the Limerick office for anonymity reasons,” Miriam says.

There’s no signage at our office in Nenagh but everyone knows where it is and there’s huge demand for the service

Asking for counselling is a big step for survivors of sexual abuse and there are barriers to getting counselling even when they’ve taken the step of making an appointment with the centre.

“There is still a massive issue of stigma around rape. If we set up in a small community centre one afternoon a week, we quickly find that people don’t want to come because they feel other locals are watching to see who goes into the counsellor.

“There’s no signage at our office in Nenagh but everyone knows where it is and there’s huge demand for the service.

“All the centres in rural or regional areas have developed organically due to demand from men and women for services. We work with whatever issues come through the door, there is no standard response and everything is dictated by the individual – they set the pace.”

Power and control

“Rape is not about sex, it’s about power and control,” says Miriam. “Whatever the circumstances no one asks to be raped. The victim is blameless.

“The vast majority of rape and sexual assault, up to 95% is committed by people we know. We rarely let strangers or people we don’t know enter circumstances where we’re vulnerable in their presence.

“Because it’s usually someone the victim knows it shatters their faith in themselves and their own judgment. We try to help them understand that this was not something you did, but something that was done to you.”

Recent cases of rape or sexual assault are categorised as those happening in the last 12 months. Up to 70% of the cases the centre deals with are adult survivors of child sexual abuse or historical abuse.

“Adult survivors of sexual abuse can lead wonderful lives and have families of their own, but one day something can trigger past memories and it can feel like a hole has opened up in front of them.

Child abusers are almost always family members, close friends or neighbours

“In our minds at the centre they’re in a similar state of crisis as someone who might have been raped last night.”

She grimaces as she tells ICL that out of all the adult survivors of childhood abuse they have counselled, about 2 to 3% were victims of clerical abuse but the majority of childhood abuse had been instigated by family members.

“Child abusers are almost always family members, close friends or neighbours. Basically, people that are trusted to be alone with children,” she says.

“Abuse happens in the city and the county, but what we see in rural, isolated areas is people with difficulty accessing our services.”

The centre also has a sexual assault treatment unit (SATU). This service is used when someone reports a sexual assault and requests a forensic examination. The exam happens at University Hospital Limerick. The centre provides a support worker to accompany them and goes through aftercare and counselling options with the victim as well.

The tiny fraction of cases that make it to court and then are actually convicted can be off-putting for victims, but Miriam says that the gardaí have improved hugely in their handling of rape cases and that they have become better at keeping the victim informed and staying in touch.

“There is still a huge fear of not being believed with so few cases going to court. There’s also the ‘she-asked-for-it’ mentality,” she explains.

Their annual budget is €450,000 for all the mid-west region. This is part funded by Túsla but there is an annual shortfall of €120,000, which is provided through fundraising.

In the current climate, their normal fundraising activities have taken a huge hit and they are constantly on the lookout for support to continue their services.

They’ve been pleasantly surprised by the continued support for their events, including an annual kayaking event, but are still hopeful that people will continue to support them up to the Christmas period.

The team renamed their building in Limerick, Phoenix House, after the bird from mythology rising reborn from the ashes. They will continue to support people on their own rebirth from the pain of trauma caused by sexual assault and rape.

The centre offers a counselling service free of charge to victims of sexual violence and operates Monday to Saturday and some evenings during the week with in-person and telephone counselling.

Contact info

Email: info@rapecrisis.ie

FreePhone: 1800 311511 or 061 311511