Mayo Rape Crisis Centre sees 'worrying' rise in younger sex offenders

Mayo Rape Crisis Centre is celebrating 30 years in existence this year.

Over the course of three decades, the centre has helped thousands of women and men who have been the victims of sexual violence.

Director of Mayo Rape Crisis Centre Loretta Brosnan-McDonagh has been with the service for 29 of those 30 years.

“There is still a continuing demand for the service. Having a rape crisis centre and having awareness does not decrease the prevalence of sexual violence,” said Loretta.

In 2023, the centre had 96 new contacts. 

“That’s a big figure for a small county. We offered 1,629 appointments. That speaks to the volume of demand,” Loretta commented.

Worryingly, the centre is seeing an increase in younger people being victimised. Working with children is not within their remit but they are often called upon to offer help and support to parents and families whose child or sibling has been preyed upon.

 The director said victim blaming remains rife.

“It’s so subtle. It’s a bit like rape culture. It’s subtle but it’s there,” said Loretta.

“It’s still as difficult for people to disclose as ever. Most of our clients will not report and go through the legal system,” she added.

The people who contact the centre are just a fraction of those who are experiencing sexual violence in the county.

"Our figures only reflect a small minority of the people who have experienced sexual violence in Mayo as only a small percentage of victims will come to a Rape Crisis Centre. This is very connected to the shame a victim will often carry about what happened to them and thus find it hard to come to a service such as ours.

"Because we are a rural rape crisis centre the likelihood that the perpetrator may live in the same village or small town and could be well-known is an added obstacle to a victim speaking out and telling someone what has happened,” said Loretta.

The centre has been working with migrant communities and people in direct provision for more than 20 years. Loretta said they get large numbers of referrals and some of the crimes and stories are shocking and harrowing.

“There are children living in direct provision who have witnessed sexual violence, who have seen their mothers being targeted and attacked. I would have a lot of concerns about children in direct provision,” said Loretta.

The support offered by the centre helps people to cope with the trauma and the lasting effects of sexual violence.

“It seeps out into so many areas of their lives. It might make it hard for someone to finish education. It might make it hard for somebody to hold down a job,” said Loretta.

The centre offers support to male victims too.

“It’s still quite small but they do use the service. We have always recognised that men are also victims of sexual violence. But as a boy ages the threat of being assaulted or raped decreases. Age is a protective factor for men, age isn’t a protective factor for women,” she noted.

A recent Central Statistics Office (CSO) survey on sexual violence found that 28% of men experienced sexual violence and 52% of women.

“It’s endemic in our culture. One in every three women will have had an experience of some sort of unwanted attention," said Loretta.

She is concerned that the age of offenders appears to be lowering.

“We are having more cases where the age difference between victim and perpetrator might be just a couple of years. The offender might be 15 and the victim might be 13. It’s kind of peer-on-peer and that’s very worrying,” said Loretta.

She believes easy access to online pornography is a major contributing factor to this disturbing rise.

“Most young boys have viewed pornography by the age of nine. The damage that’s doing to their development sexually and their concept of the female body.”  

Loretta stressed that just because Mayo is a rural county it does not mean sexual violence is any less prevalent than in large cities.

“There is nothing happening in bigger urban areas that isn’t happening in our county,” she said.

Mayo Rape Crisis Centre will mark three decades of providing free, confidential support in the community to survivors of sexual violence and their supporters with a spectacular night of music and song in Knockranny House Hotel, Westport on Thursday, May 2.

The event is designed to acknowledge not just the work of the centre, but more importantly, to celebrate the many incredible stories of surviving and healing that have emerged from its doors.

“What people have overcome, it’s so inspiring,” said Loretta.

Visit www.mrcc.ie for further information on the centre and the upcoming concert.