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Niall Carson/PA Wire

Fear of reporting sexual assaults is 'shameful indictment', says Higgins

On International Women’s Day, the President tells an audience at Áras an Úachtaráin that Ireland must support assault victims more.

PRESIDENT MICHAEL D HIGGINS has said Ireland’s culture where women are afraid to report sexual crimes and assaults is “a shameful indictment” on Irish society.

The President said Ireland had to ensure that “those experiencing sexual or domestic violence have the appropriate supports accessible to them and that we combat any negative attitudes towards victims within society and within services or structures of the state.”

President Higgins was speaking at an event in Áras an Uachtaráin to mark International Women’s Day.

He cited statistics from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, which believed Ireland had one of the highest rates of sexual crimes ‘falling out’ of the criminal justice system – where a victim fears an unwanted reaction and withdraws their complaint – in the world.

“I congratulate all those who work so assiduously, many in this room tonight, to break the silence on gender based violence. In particular I salute the victims who by breaking the silence on their own dreadful experience have shone a light for others.”

Higgins said International Women’s Day was a day to “acknowledge and celebrate all those who have fought for women’s equality”, but should not be used to deny or ignore diversity among women.

“While all of you here share the common experience of being a woman in a society dominated by men and oriented to serve best the needs of men, there are those here whose lives have been and are infinitely more difficult than others,” he said, referring to those from impoverished backgrounds and ethnic minorities.

Read: One in five company directors is a woman (and she’s most likely to be called Mary)

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33 Comments
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    Mute Clare Cassidy
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:02 PM

    We desperately need law reform in our society. We need longer jail sentences for sexual assault and rape, and we need consecutive sentences for repeat occurrences. We need to stop permitting suspended sentences. To be raped or assaulted is a life sentence to the victim, it affects every aspect of their life, to relationships, intimacy, trust, it can lead to years of suffering from post-traumatic stress, it shakes the victim to the core, and often it can take a lifetime-if at all to overcome the damage it causes. The actions of rape and sexual assault takes away the victims humanity.
    These miniscule sentences that rapists and perpetrators of sexual assault that we have been seeing in the news-which is quite a lot in recent months-do not match the depravity and true horror of the crime, and it is no wonder that there is a reluctance to go through the inevitable trauma of coming forward.

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    Mute nalex1013
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    Mar 9th 2013, 10:19 AM

    Well said

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    Mute aurilton
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:37 PM

    What good words President Higgins speaks.
    Unfortunately the judicial system is disgraceful …. When a sex offender pleads ‘he was overcome with an irresistible urge as a result of the combination of alcohol, cough syrup and cholesterol medicine’
    He is ordered to pay €75k to his victim and serves just over 4 months of a 6 year sentence. Disgusting disgusting disgusting.

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    Mute Thomas Blake
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:15 PM

    There was a case a few years ago of a man convicted of rape. After his conviction, members of the local community lined up to shake hands with him. A terrible insult to his victim. Recently it has emerged that Tyrone manager Mickey Harte, provided a character reference to a man that pleaded guilty to rape. Where are the prominent members of the community praising victims of rape for being brave and testifying against their attacker. I remember watching on BBC news a story about domestic violence. They showed footage of a spokesperson for the police, urging women in similar situations to come forward. He stated that their complaints will be dealt with with seriously and with sensitivity. I’m open to correction on this but, I can’t remember a Garda spokesperson ever making a similar statement.

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    Mute Thomas Blake
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:29 PM
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    Mute Tommy C
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:58 PM

    Mickey Harte campaigns against women having the rights to their own bodily autonomy and he shakes the hand of and writes references for rapists. Hardly the actions of a man who is pro-women.

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    Mute briewee
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:13 PM

    why would women or man want to report it, they get no real support from the legal system the case keeps get put back and you could waitngi up to 4 years or more before the trail starts, the sentences are a joke and no matter the outcome of a trial the scars will always run deep and never really heal.

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    Mute Seán O' Sullivan
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:28 PM

    spot on, unfortunately

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    Mute briewee
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:34 PM

    unfortunately I speak from personal experience of the system, the detective that dealt with my case was wonderful the rest was a nightmare, the person plead guilty after 4 yrs of playing the system as much as he could, got 2 and half yrs only served 18mths and moved back to the same town i live in, every time i see him it is gut wrenching and it has been nearly 10yrs since my court case

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    Mute Dorothy T. Murphy
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    Mar 8th 2013, 10:48 PM

    You are very brave and I’m sorry for what you have been put through xxx

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Mar 8th 2013, 6:59 PM

    I had a lecture once from someone in the Rape Crisis Center and the statistics that I saw for the amount of sexual assaults reported and the amount that led to a prosecution were shocking. I don’t have the figures to hand, maybe someone else does but from memory there was less than 100 rape cases brought from about 1500 complaints per year though I do stand to be corrected on those figures.

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    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:08 PM

    How many are true though? I personally know of one guy that was falsly accused and another girl that cried rape to get back at a guy (different), which she later came clean to her mother about.
    I dont think it needs saying what should happen to someone that sexually assults another but people that cry wolf should be dealt with harshly.

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    Mute Joanne Fitzgerald
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:16 PM

    Oh whataboutery. On comment number two. Just kill me now please.

    What was she wearing? How much did she drink? What did she do to wind him up? She’s crying wolf.

    I can say with absolute certainty that far more assaults go unreported than false claims are made.

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    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:20 PM

    Relax yourself, im not one of them that thinks its the girls fault if shes attacked. Im just making the very valid point that the ones that make false claims make it harder for the real victims to come forward.

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:22 PM

    Terry on page 29 http://www.drcc.ie/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/DRCC-Annual-Report-20111.pdf there are more up to date figures than the ones that I had in my notes. I too know of cases of false accusation and there have been recent reports in the British media concerning this. Unfortunately the courts for some insane reason by and large tend to give these women (or men) suspended sentences. This is of no comfort to those who are falsely accused as their name and reputation are blackened forever. It also puts off genuine cases who fear that they won’t be believed.

    The problem lies in the gathering of evidence and witness statements which if taken immediately after the assault can lead to a much higher conviction rate than historical assault where forensic evidence may not be available. To be fair, by and large anyone who works in this area that I have talked to knows what they are doing and does their up-most to see justice done.

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    Mute Joanne Fitzgerald
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:29 PM

    This thread is about unreported sexual assaults. Its about women being afraid to report an assault on them. Why? For many reasons including doubt of the veracity of their claim. And then we have someone saying immediately that many aren’t true.. Backing the whole thing up. Why would a woman report such an emotionally difficult incident when people will doubt her straight away?

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    Mute Shanti Om
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:44 PM

    Considering its something that tends to happen in private it’s a very difficult thing to prove. Really the only thing that a rape kit can prove is that you had sex, if there’s cuts or bruises it proves that the sex was rough.

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    Mute Rachel Ahearne
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:45 PM

    This thread is about people who are victims of sexual assault. Not about those who lied about being assaulted. I feel that comments like this completely distract from the issue. We don’t talk about how wrong murder is but constantly bring up examples of the infrequent times people are falsely accused of murder. People being sexually assaulted is a huge issue both at home and internationally. False accusations while completely disgusting, are not in any way statistically as frequent. While your point is excellent if we were discussing how unfair the system is to innocent men regarding the destruction of reputation etc. it is an utterly redundant point in the debate on this issue. Take a few minutes to research stats on sexual assault and do some sort of comparison study related to false accusations and maybe then you might agree. I am extremely sorry to hear about that man and I do believe those who lie should be harshly penalised but they have no relevance to actual victims.

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    Mute Terry Morgan
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:05 PM

    I was saying it because i bet a lot of people dont report it for that reason. Might of come out wrong but thats what i mean.

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    Mute Rachel Ahearne
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:14 PM

    Sorry Terry the comment I read from you asked “how many are true” then went to to tell a story about a false accusation and then concluded to discuss how those who cry wolf should be dealt with. Nothing in your comment even alluded to why you think people don’t come forward! You might have meant to say it, but if you don’t write that I can’t possibly know!

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    Mute Chuck Farrelly
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    Mar 8th 2013, 9:39 PM

    Sorry Rachel but your first sentence is inaccurate. It’s not about “people who are victims of sexual assault” it’s ONLY about women.

    As pretty much everyone knows, male victims are a lot less likely to report a crime than women but, once again, they are excluded and therefore further marginalised

    Don’t anyone bother with the “it’s international women’s day” line because the whole concept is deeply flawed and this helps to prove why

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    Mute Dorothy T. Murphy
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    Mar 8th 2013, 10:42 PM

    That’s exactly the kind of tripe women are afraid of. Simply being believed. I don’t know anyone who has ever falsely accused a person of rape. People will tell you they were assaulted but won’t say who did it because they are terrified. It’s a dreadful thing being raped and going without support for fear of judgement.

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    Mute Immortal
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    Mar 8th 2013, 11:06 PM

    @Joanne Fitzgerald I live in fear. It is a part of my everyday life. Thankfully I don’t have to get on my hands & knees any more, to check under my car but I do still live as a vigilante. It is my normal. There are few who could live as I do, but I do. I imagine lots of people do. It is the way we have grown up. It is not normal but it is our normal. We grew up in harms way, and that is not something we can escape! Therefore we live with it. We are in the top 50 of real fear, where it isn’t going to be a blatant shot to the head, it could be anything, accidents and coincidence I don’t believe in them that’s for sure. But we get on with it. We live anyway! Smile when all you want to do is cry! That is life.

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    Mute Catherine Crotty Brett
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    Mar 8th 2013, 11:13 PM

    Why the red thumbs. Falsely accusing someone of such a dreadful crime has a lasting effect on their life

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    Mute Immortal
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    Mar 8th 2013, 11:38 PM

    @ Dorothy T. Murphy I knew an awful person who said her ex was doing this to her. But truth be told she was awful to him, I also had, had an altercation with him, I actually fought back, & he said okay you win. I said yes I do! If you touch me again that’s it I will not say sorry for what I am able to do to you. He said okay, okay you win. Like it was a competition? I told him I was within my rights to kill him. He had broken into my room and forced himself onto me. But I laid down the law. I had my heel to his throat how I do not know but I did. So why could she not fight back? To me she used it as a custody ploy, the awful parasite that she was. He was no angel but he really did love his 2 children. It was awful she used him and his weakness to have him deported. I imagine it was her plan all along, even though he attacked me too, I have children and to me what she did was awful, he was no angel, but I know he was a good father, he was also very small in stature, and could not overpower her, my children would love a father type figure, this to me just proves that some women are the root of all evil. It is a shame, some women cry wolf.

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    Mute Con Ó Domhnaill
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    Mar 8th 2013, 8:40 PM

    When I saw that our President was speaking I thought he was going to say something really important. Like that he was going to donate his €250,000 salary to women’s charities and live off his TD and Ministerial pensions. But there were no surprises.

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    Mute Scobee Gough
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:18 PM

    Unfortunately the courts in this country are not fit for purpose, the justice system is broken, justice needs to be more efficient and not just about barristers and solicitors making money hence seeking adjournment after adjournment to increase their profits

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    Mute Tommy C
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:57 PM

    Sex offenders in this country get away with their crimes by paying off their victims with a few bob. The system is disgusting.

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    Mute Republic Of Zen
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    Mar 8th 2013, 7:27 PM

    Irelands sexual repression means that most people cant have a serious conversation about rape. Instead they prefer to blame sexual promiscuity when the really problem is that violence is a socially accepted activity.

    “woman in a society dominated by men and oriented to serve best the needs of men.”

    I disagree with this. Until we go into the working world we are dominated by women. Hence Ireland is currently a nation of pansies.

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    Mute Aoife
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    Mar 8th 2013, 9:24 PM

    Agreed on the first point, although I think blaming sexual promiscuity for rape has (thankfully) become a lot less acceptable in recent times.

    That being said, I have to comment on your claim that being ‘dominated by women’ makes us a ‘nation of pansies’. Nothing like a nice little bit of misogyny on International Women’s Day.

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    Mute HelloGoogleTracking!
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    Mar 8th 2013, 9:10 PM

    Accusing someone of rape or sexual assault is a very serious charge, and everyone has the right to be presumed innocent.

    That means an adversarial justice system that required proof beyond reasonable doubt and the right to a defense.

    Assuming all these fundamental human rights, there will always be complete investigations, without prejusdice,…..

    This will of course make it very difficult for any woman involved, but what is your alternative??!!!!

    Forego all ham rights and the justice sust and assume all accused men are guilty ???!?

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    Mute Immortal
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    Mar 8th 2013, 10:50 PM

    You would all want to take a long hard look at the law, indeed, its very foundations are based upon an abuse! It stems from a catholic doctrine, an abusive doctrine, where the very words, being humbled mean to be raped and defiled genesis 34! To old boys, some sitting in the docks, they think us fools! This is their get out clause, this is what it is to a be, an Oldboy, the bible, the very dialectics of the bible, are their get out clause! Scrutinize every word, this is where law comes from. Even the bible tells you g_d is bent, and there are none that can straighten him! If G_d is bent the law is bent and so are all his kin after him!!! It is true!

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    Mute Immortal
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    Mar 8th 2013, 10:23 PM

    Well some people are only too aware of how the law actually works & who indeed the supposed law works for!? What if one was a victim of a rape, indeed if her entire life was spent at the hands of people destroying her! Willing that she would kill herself & what’s worse to witness an individual who was also a victim of the very same people, kill himself by self immolation….What have you to say? The truth is what people call crazy! Indeed as a child being molested I was told that if I ever told the truth that I would be eaten! So the rich eat the poor it is true! I am so disgusted by being Irish I teach my children to not be Irish, that it is utterly shameful for the Irish that they are a disgrace! Vile dirty creatures!

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