An education programme developed by Margo Noonan, lead nurse at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in the South Infirmary Victoria Hospital, is giving young people the tools to speak their experiences, writes Ann Murphy.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said its national helpline was contacted almost 24,000 times in 2025

The Always Here awareness campaign is designed to inform and reassure victims and survivors of sexual violence that help is available.

Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) has published national research shedding light on public attitudes towards and personal experiences of sexual violence in Ireland.

The annual number of cases of sexual assault reported happening outside Ireland has grown steadily from 55 in 2017 to 126 last year – an increase of 129 per cent.

The survey showed that four per cent of respondents from Ireland agreed that a husband or boyfriend could have sex with his female partner without her consent.

One member was dismissed in 2017 for a sexual offence while another was dismissed in 2023 for domestic violence.

Figures from the Central Statistics Office show 86 per cent of women think sexual violence against women is common, compared to 72 per cent of men

More than a third of women (36 per cent) who did not disclose any experience of sexual violence as an adult kept it secret because they felt ashamed or embarrassed.

A quarter (25 per cent) of women experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child, compared with 16 per cent of men.

Today, in her weekly column, Ailin Quinlan opens up about a sexual assault on her as a young child

Bisexual and gay/lesbian people reported higher levels of sexual violence as an adult than heterosexual/straight people.

Official statistics show that 40 per cent of adults experience sexual violence in their lifetime, with women experiencing higher levels (52 per cent ) than men (28 per cent)

A large number of people took part in the Belfast march against gender-based violence

War is a magnet for sexual exploitation, says Colette Sheridan