26% of population has experienced sexual violence

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The Hard Shoulder, with Ciara Kelly and Shane Colman, on Newstalk, with Ciara.

Shane Coleman (0:10)

Now, research published today by the ESRI shows that more than a quarter of the population in Ireland has experienced sexual violence as an adult. The study also challenges common assumptions regarding perpetrators, indicating that many victims experience sexual violence from people they already know and in familiar surroundings, such as their home or another person's home. We're joined by Dr. Clíona Saidléar, Executive Director of Rape Crisis Ireland.

Clíona, thanks indeed for joining us. These are really shocking figures.

Clíona Saidléar (0:41)

Well, they are indeed shocking, I suppose.

And we always pause on the word shocking there, because actually we know this already. You know, we have been rehearsing and we've been doing this research for a very long time. So in some ways we should never be, we shouldn't be shocked at these numbers, but on the other hand, they remain shocking because they remain so high. And I think we need to constantly remind ourselves of the scale of the problem of sexual violence. So yes, even for me, I've worked decades in the area and it still shocks me, these numbers still shock.

Shane Coleman (1:16)

Yeah, understandably. So the research obviously highlights, as we've talked about here, how pervasive sexual violence is, but it also shows that particular subgroups are more vulnerable. Can you tell us more about that?

Clíona Saidléar (1:29)

Absolutely. And one of the really valuable things about the ESRI research here is that it's really digging down, it's taking the data and it's really trying to understand the particulars around it. So you get what we already know and what I think people will be familiar with, which is the dominant victims here are women.

But then you can break that down and go actually younger women and younger adults, younger women and men are more vulnerable. And then you can break that down again into other categories. And it cuts across, I mean, one of the, I suppose the intersection that we look at most is sex, gender and sexuality. So for example, the really, the highest figure, I think, in the report in terms of vulnerability is for bisexual men and women. And that comes in at 53%.

So that's much, much higher than any of the other categories that I can see in terms of having looked at this research. So it's, you know, there are categories of people where it really jumps out. I mean, another number that is a very small number in here, but I think it's significant, is they've also pulled out where the number of people who've reported here in this research, where they were sexually assaulted when they were unconscious, whether they were drugged or unconscious in some way. And that number is 4% in this research. And that is long before the data here was gathered before Pellico broke, before any of that. So that's a significant number, that 4%. And I think when we repeat the data gathering, the sexual violence survey, that's one to watch in terms of the number there.

Shane Coleman (3:06)

Yeah, it really is. And sorry to use the word shocking again, but that is absolutely shocking, that stat of 4%.

What can we do as a state, as a country, to address this issue?

Clíona Saidléar (3:23)

Well, I think one of the things is, you know, when we started this conversation about this being shocking, I think we need to keep reminding ourselves of the reality. I think we can't shy away from the reality.

I think we need to keep coming back to this count. We need to keep counting it and we need to keep saying it out loud to ourselves and to everyone else around us, because we've only just begun to really, across the whole of government and society, take this seriously and to really go, what can we do?

And the first thing, I think, you know, is to say we can do a lot and these numbers can change, we can improve these numbers, but it's also quite, it's a whole of government, it's a whole society effort. We've all got to be involved in various ways in this. I mean, one of the things on this, which gives me hope, the data behind this research, the people who went out, because it was a random survey to the country and there was a really high response rate. So the people, when someone knocked on their door and said, I want to ask you questions about sexual violence, a really high amount of people said yes. And I think they said yes. I think it was a really clear indication from the Irish population there that they're really keen to be involved in being the solution to sexual violence here. So I think, you know, there is, we are certainly in a place and we hear the discourse that happened week in, week out around sexual violence as it arises in the news. And I think people are really keen to be part of the solution here.